'Qualified bids' sent in for all Mass. Steward hospitals, Healey says

All of Steward Health Care's Massachusetts hospitals received bids as the for-profit company looks to sell off its facilities during ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, Gov. Maura Healey said Tuesday.

"We have qualified bids for all the hospitals," Healey told reporters Tuesday. Bids on the seven hospitals owned by the for-profit system were due on July 15.

The governor's disclosure, made as Healey was exiting a press scrum after a meeting with legislators, comes after Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein last Wednesday said state officials had no information on how the bidding process worked out.

"We've received qualified bids. We are evaluating those now, and it's currently with the parties right now in New York," Healey said. "So we're gonna wait to see what happens at the end of today. My focus remains on protecting jobs, protecting patients and protecting the stability of the health market here in Massachusetts. So something that's evolving — we'll continue to keep you updated and apprised on developments."

The Healey administration was waiting Tuesday to see whether Steward would provide more information about the bids, a spokesperson for the governor said. A Steward spokesperson declined to comment on the bids Tuesday.

A sales hearing is scheduled for the hospitals in U.S. Bankruptcy Court on July 31.

"We at DPH will be ready to move forward with regulatory processes to transition Steward hospitals to new operators," Goldstein said at last week's Public Health Council meeting. "We remain resolute about preserving access to safe, quality health care for all residents of the commonwealth. We'll soon know what it will take to fully execute on that promise, but for now, we wait."

These are the Steward hospitals operating in Massachusetts: Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Morton Hospital in Taunton, St. Anne's Hospital in Fall River, St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Brighton, Carney Hospital in Dorchester, Holy Family Hospital with campuses in Methuen and Haverhill and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer.

Norwood Hospital, which is temporarily closed, was not included in the sale process.