Gov. Maura Healey uses eminent domain to stop shut down of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center

By Merritt Hughes

Gov. Maura Healey’s office announced Friday that it is taking control of St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center through eminent domain to keep it open.

Steward Health Care, which is set to go bankrupt, owns St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center. They previously had agreed to sell the property to Boston Medical Center (BMC), but later Apollo, the hospital’s asset management firm, rejected the state’s $4.5 million proposal, claiming it “significantly undervalue[d] the real property underlying St. Elizabeth’s.” 

Gov. Healey’s actions through eminent domain bypass this, allowing St. Elizabeth’s to be transferred to new medical services through BMC. 

“While Apollo continues to put its greed ahead of the health and wellbeing of the people of Massachusetts, we are taking action to make sure St. Elizabeth’s remains open,” Gov. Healey said in a statement about the hospital seizure. “By transferring operations to Boston Medical Center, we will protect access to care for tens of thousands of patients and save thousands of jobs.”

Friday’s announcement regarding St. Elizabeth’s comes after the state took over operators for five other Steward hospitals, according to a previous press release. The dispute over St. Elizabeth’s was delayed because of the high value; property records show that the land alone is worth $51 million. 

The transfer of ownership will go into effect on Oct. 1.