State officially seizes St. Elizabeth’s hospital, patients to see no care disruption

Gov. Maura Healey formally seized St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton Friday, according to a statement released by her office.

The move will allow patients to keep receiving care at St. Elizabeth’s before Boston Medical Center becomes its official owner, Healey's office said. More than 60 patients are currently staying at the Brighton hospital for various treatments, the administration said.

Healey had announced plans in mid-August to take control of the property through eminent domain to keep the hospital open as a deal proceeded to transfer its ownership from bankrupt Steward Health Care to a new operator, Boston Medical Center.

An earlier agreement from Boston Medical Center to take the hospital was rejected by Apollo Global Management, the company that owns the Brighton property's mortgage. The state's seizure Friday ensures Boston Medical Center can take ownership of the hospital.

“While Apollo continues to put its greed ahead of the health and wellbeing of the people of Massachusetts, we are taking action to make sure St. Elizabeth’s remains open," Healey said in a statement. "By transferring operations to Boston Medical Center, we will protect access to care for tens of thousands of patients and save thousands of jobs."

In a statement Friday afternoon, Apollo threatened to sue, calling the Healey administration's move "unconstitutional."

“Despite our repeated attempts to engage in reasonable negotiations, the Governor has initiated an unconstitutional use of eminent domain at the expense of Apollo’s third-party investors," the statement said. "Taking the property for a fraction of the assessed value is theft and everyone in Massachusetts — every business owner and homeowner — should be concerned about this threat."

The state and Steward earlier this month reached a series of deals to sell five of the company's seven Massachusetts Hospitals.  Boston Medical Center is also set to take over Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton. Lawrence General Hospital will absorb Holy Family hospitals in Haverhill and Methuen, and Rhode Island-based Lifespan will operate of Morton Hospital in Taunton and St. Anne’s Hospital in Fall River.

The ownership transfers are set to take place on Oct. 1, Healey's office said.

Steward said the for-profit health care company was unable to find buyers for two of their hospitals, Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley in Ayer, and the facilities closed at the end of August. Healey's office noted in the statement that the state has formed working groups to assist communities affected by the shuttered Steward hospitals.

The state is spending more than $489 million over three years to help keep Steward hospitals afloat as they transition to new owners.