FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Nikko Mendoza | 617-990-2487
Twitter: @1199mass

Quincy, MA (August 10, 2017) – In response to the Attorney General’s findings about the 2014 closure of North Adams Regional Hospital, Filaine Deronnette, Vice President of Health Systems at 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, issued the following statement:

“North Adams Regional Hospital was a cornerstone of healthcare access for families across Berkshire County for more than a century. Its abrupt closure in March 2014 occurred too quickly and without transparency – a painful experience for the community who depended on this institution for its health needs, for the hundreds of workers who dedicated their lives to providing compassionate care and for the region that suddenly lost a vital economic engine.

No community should ever have to endure such a traumatic experience like this one. To that end, we remain vigilant in our advocacy to protect and promote access to quality, community-based care, just as we did throughout NARH’s closure and transition of services to Berkshire Medical Center. We will continue to hold management accountable to its patients and workforce and fight to ensure community hospitals across the Commonwealth can thrive.”

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Representing more than 56,000 healthcare workers throughout Massachusetts and over 450,000 workers on the East Coast, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East is the largest and fastest-growing healthcare union in America. Our mission is to achieve affordable, high quality healthcare for all. 1199SEIU is part of the 2.1 million member Service Employees International Union.