Former Steward hospitals bought by Lawrence General unveil new name
The health system that includes two hospitals formerly run by Steward Health Care in Haverhill and Methuen said Tuesday it would rebrand to the name Merrimack Health, nearly a year after the campuses were sold off in Steward’s bankruptcy fire sale.
The new system cements Lawrence General Hospital‘s acquisition of the former Holy Family Hospital campuses, which was announced last year as part of a state-brokered deal that saw six Steward hospitals change hands (and two close altogether).
The three hospitals, in Lawrence, Haverhill, and Methuen, will be renamed to reflect the Merrimack Health brand, according to a statement released Tuesday. The system describes itself as the “first health care system serving the Merrimack Valley,” with a physicians network serving 13 cities and towns in Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.
Diana Richardson, the new health system’s interim president and CEO, said the rebranding reflects “our commitment to improving the health and wellbeing of the region — ensuring every person has access to trusted, compassionate care close to home.”
When Lawrence General Hospital agreed to take over the two Holy Family campuses last year, it marked the largest expansion in the community hospital’s 150-year history — more than doubling its number of beds and adding more than 1,300 employees and nearly 130 doctors. It was a risky acquisition for the local operator, which added two hospitals with aging infrastructure and whose patients largely relied on MassHealth and Medicare for insurance.
The last few months of the newly integrated health system have been uneven. Lawrence General’s chief executive who oversaw the Holy Family acquisition, Dr. Abha Agrawal, departed in February after just over a year in the role amid high staff turnover and allegations of a toxic work environment. Richardson stepped into the role on an interim basis but the search for a permanent CEO is ongoing.
Nevertheless, Agrawal was credited with leading the system through an “unprecedented time” and for “facilitating the creation of a regional health care system in the Merrimack Valley,” hospital board chair Rosemarie Day said at the time.
Hospital administrators have shifted services at the former Steward campuses. Holy Family Haverhill eliminated its medical-surgical and intensive care beds in May, instead prioritizing its emergency department and the expansion of outpatient services, such as a sleep medicine center. Inpatient care was shifted to the Lawrence and Methuen hospitals.
“These hospitals and their dedicated health care professionals tirelessly and admirably cared for patients despite facing significant challenges,” Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll said in a statement. “Now, we celebrate uniting these hospitals as Merrimack Health, together delivering the care that these communities deserve and that makes our state proud.”
Camilo Fonseca can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.
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