Haverhill's Holy Family Hospital Faces Major Service Cuts

The Haverhill Holy Family Hospital is set to undergo significant changes. The hospital, which once had 59 medical-surgical beds, now operates with just a single 32-bed unit. The hospital's intensive care unit, which had 10 beds, was quietly shut down earlier this year without any public notice from the state. This move is part of a broader plan to transform the facility into a satellite emergency department that also offers inpatient behavioral health care. The changes are expected to impact approximately 35 out of 256 staff members. The health system has pledged to find alternative roles within the organization for those affected. The transition is scheduled to take place in October and will be reviewed by the Department of Public Health. The state has a 120-day period to review the closures, but it lacks the authority to prevent them. Despite the cuts, emergency services at Haverhill will continue to operate, including ambulance and lab services. The health system is also looking to expand outpatient services, such as a sleep medicine center. The emergency room will maintain its current appearance and functionality, but patients requiring inpatient care will be transferred to other facilities, such as the Methuen campus or a tertiary medical center.

The decision to cut services comes after the $28 million acquisition of Holy Family’s hospitals in Methuen and Haverhill last fall. The acquisition was celebrated as a way to preserve care in the Merrimack Valley region. However, the hospital's medical-surgical and ICU beds have been underutilized, with an average of only eight to 10 patients per day. The operating rooms have been closed since March 2025, and the hospital has only admitted patients with minor issues from the emergency department. The interim CEO of Lawrence General Hospital and Holy Family Hospital, Diana Richardson, has defended the decision. She argued that the state working groups, established after the Steward crisis, prioritized a full satellite emergency facility over maintaining medical-surgical beds. Richardson also emphasized that the broader health system already has sufficient capacity in medical-surgical and ICU beds. She stated that it is not fiscally responsible to maintain beds that are not in demand. Richardson also denied that the acquisition of Haverhill was a strategic move to benefit Lawrence General’s business. The changes at Haverhill Hospital come amid financial struggles for Lawrence General. The hospital reported a $15. 9 million operating loss for the year ending in September, following a $13. 8 million loss the previous year. The start of this year has been equally challenging, with a $9. 6 million operating loss reported for the first six months. These financial difficulties highlight the broader challenges facing the healthcare system in the region.

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