SHARE and MNA Join The Coalition To Protect Community Care

The Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) and the State Healthcare and Research Employees Union (SHARE) have formally endorsed support for The Coalition to Protect Community Care. As the Patch reported in April, the Coalition to Protect Community Care opposes Mass General Brigham (MGB)’s proposed expansions in Westborough, Woburn, and Westwood.

The Coalition to Protect Community Care believes that MGB’s expansion affects the viability of local hospitals, affiliates and smaller medical practices, raises costs, and impedes equitable access to care for the region’s most vulnerable patients.

“MNA is proud to endorse the Coalition to Protect Community Care. As the largest union and professional association of registered nurses and health professionals in the state, MNA recognizes the strain that MGB’s proposed expansion will place on essential local providers, many of which employ MNA members,” said MNA President Katie Murphy, RN in Coalition To Protect Community Care’s press release. “This expansion would be devastating for local health systems and worsen existing health disparities that MNA members are actively working to solve.”

“SHARE members are on the front-line taking care of the most vulnerable patients in Central Mass., and we support the Coalition to Protect Community Care’s efforts to preserve our crucial safety net healthcare institutions,” said SHARE Lead Organizer Andrea Caceres. “MGB’s expansion will negatively impact our patients, raise costs, threaten the financial viability of essential medical institutions, and result in potential job loss.”

Both unions’ decision to join the dozens of other local organizations that oppose Mass General Brigham’s expansion “signals each organization’s fierce commitment to promoting health equity and access, underscoring the negative impacts that this proposal would have on patients, providers, healthcare employees and businesses across the state. The Coalition understands that local healthcare organizations are the backbone of their communities, equipped with the world-class expertise, critical partnerships, and unwavering passion to drive significant change. The support received from endorsing organizations is a testament to the value of community-based providers across the Commonwealth,” said the Coalition to Protect Community Care in a press release.

To learn more about the Coalition to Protect Community Care and how to get involved, visit: www.protectcommunitycare.org.

Note: Westwood Patch reached out to Mass General Brigham regarding the Coalition to Protect Community Care, and they did not respond.