Left In Lowell

Back on April 20th, the Sunday Sun had a front page article, written by City Editor, Christopher Scott on the hospital rivalry that exists in the City of Lowell. Unfortunately, it is no longer available on line without paying $2.95. If you have not read it or cannot remember the details, and you care about the economic and social future of the City, it is well worth paying that sum. Or you could visit Pollard Library, where everything is free.

Scott’s article focused on the “tension over the long-term future of the locally controlled hospitals in Lowell,” Saints Medical Center and Lowell General Hospital, and the “friendly rivalry.” At the time of the printing of the article, Women’s Health, providers of obstetrical and gynecological services, left Saints and signed an exclusive agreement with LGH.

The April 20th article is probably one of the best researched and written I have read in the paper. Unfortunately, it did not create the public noise it should have but it probably created the private discussions it demanded.

In addition to detailing the failed 2001 merger, Scott quotes State Senator Steve Panagiatakos, “The last thing we need is a boxing match between the two hospitals….They [the hospitals] are not for profit businesses formed to take market share from the other…We need functioning, high-efficiency hospitals. If one succeeds at the detriment of the other, that doesn’t help the system.”

Six months have gone by since that article. Last week, Scott reported that our state delegation, lead by Senator Panagiatakos wrote a letter to both hospitals and urged the two institutions to form an “alliance…to ensure that we have a locally controlled and community-oriented health-care system.”

And in the Sunday Column this week, the Sun asks, “Why did the Statehouse delegation get involved in this hospital hot potato in the first place?”

I do not know if that was a rhetorical question or not but maybe the letter was sent because the boxing match has not stopped. I am glad the issue is back in the public arena. Although there is a need a public discussion as to what is in the best interest of our community, it would not be prudent for either hospital to negotiate through the press

And while they are at it, maybe they should cut back on their advertising budget. How much do they spend on ads in the Sun both on the website and the hard copy; WCAP, LRTA buses and billboards?

Can they continue to compete directly with each other and remain viable? Are they enough sick people (or those like me who practice preventing care) who live in Greater Lowell and use local facilities? In his April 20th article Scott wrote that “40 to 50 percent of the region’s patients already leave Greater Lowell for medical care at Boston’s teaching hospitals.”

I know that an ER doctor, Shorta Yuasa, from LGH wrote a letter-to-the-editor contradicting the notion that demand outweighed supply but if that was the case neither institution would have any worries.

It appears that besides egos one of the major obstacles to a “partnership” is the affiliation of Saints with the Archdiocese. As Dr. Yusa wrote in his letter, “I humbly submit that it [Archdiocese of Boston] must not interfere in the lives of a community like Lowell, whose strength will always be its rich diversity, or come between the privacy of medical decisions made by a physician and his or her patient.”

I guess we will wait for the hospitals to formally respond to the delegation. Then we may find out where all of this is going and perhaps find out how long will we have two locally-controlled, community hospitals?