LAWRENCE — Lawrence General Hospital, which also owns Holy Family Hospitals in Methuen and Haverhill, will make a major news announcement at 10:40 a.m. Thursday.
The news, which is embargoed by LGH until that time, will be posted at eagletribune.com. A full report will appear online and in Friday’s print version of The Eagle-Tribune.
The news could not be shared sooner as hospital employees were not yet notified of the upcoming changes by email, a spokesperson said Wednesday.
In mid-April, LGH reversed its decision to close or reduce outpatient services at HFH in Methuen.
An array of medical treatments including blood transfusions, wound and ostomy care, minor surgeries, infectious disease clinics and more are handled through outpatient services at HFH Methuen.
When questioned about the possible closure of outpatient services, an LGH spokesperson issued a statement then indicating that LGH and HFH “as a newly combined entity, are continuously evaluating opportunities to make the most of our shared resources to stabilize, preserve, and enhance health care across the Merrimack Valley.”
“As part of this process, we examined the relocation – not closure – of a handful of outpatient services at Holy Family Hospital in Methuen. However, we have decided that no changes will be made to those services at this time, and as always, any future plans will prioritize the delivery of high-quality, patient-centered care,” said Lori Howley, an LGH spokesperson.
In early April, LGH laid off dozens of employees just a day before unionized nurses held an informational picket outside the 1 General St. hospital due to stalled contract negotiations, low wages and poor working conditions.
LGH laid off or is not filling vacant positions for 80 administrative employees.
A year ago, LGH purchased HFH after the demise of Steward Healthcare System.
Diana Richardson, a new interim president and CEO of LGH and HFH, started in April.
Richardson joined the hospital after an internal investigation and abrupt departure of former leader Dr. Abha Agrawal.
A senior transition liaison with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Richardson played a key role in the state’s incident command response to the Steward Health Care bankruptcy crisis.
Before her time at DPH, Richardson served as executive vice president of Tufts Medicine and president of Tufts Medical Center in Boston, after previously holding the role of senior vice president and chief operating officer.
Richardson left the leadership position at Tufts a year ago.
Dallas-based Steward operated about 30 hospitals nationwide before it filed for bankruptcy protection as part of a 2024 plan to pay down $9 billion in debt to its creditors.
Most of the company’s eight Massachusetts hospitals — including Holy Family hospitals in Haverhill and Methuen — were sold to new owners in September 2024 as part of federal bankruptcy proceedings.
Follow staff reporter Jill Harmacinski on Twitter/X @EagleTribJill and on Threads at jillyharma.