State Hearing on MetroWest Medical Center’s Plans To Close Cancer Center on Tuesday, June 7

Updated at 4:18 p.m. with comments from the Mayor. Updated at 8:44 with comment from State Rep. Maria Robinson

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FRAMINGHAM – The Massachusetts Department of Public Health will hold a public hearing on MetroWest Medical Center’s intent to discontinue Oncology Infusion and Radiation Oncology services at Framingham Union Campus in Framingham on Tuesday, June 7 from 6 to 9 p.m.

“The Mayor’s office was never notified of the hearing,” said Mayor Charlie Sisitsky.

The Mayor said the State needed to do more than just publish a legal newspaper in the daily newspaper, which only paid subscribers could read it.

“If the Mayor’s office was notified, we would have sent out a press release to all news outlets to alert them to this important hearing that will impact so many of our residents.”

State Rep. Maria Robinson said the state representatives were not notified about the Tuesday public hearing until after SOURCE published today at 3:15 p.m. and after SOURCE emailed the delegation.

“We weren’t informed until 5 p.m. today,” said Rep. Robinson

The state’s only notification to the public about this hearing has been a legal notice that was published in the MetroWest Daily News on May 20.

SOURCE called the state’s office three times this week and left messages three times and no one returned calls on the hearing date.

SOURCE left a message complaining that the closing information was not on the state’s website as of yesterday, June 2, and surprisingly it appeared today.

Yesterday only the notifications to close Leonard Morse and the pediatric unit at Framingham Union Hospital were on the state’s website. Today, the filling for the cancer center planned closure is now on the state’s website.

SOURCE was the first news outlet to publish Tenet Healthcare’s intention to close the cancer center in Framingham.

Since then both the medical board and the hospital’s advisory board have voted to not close the cancer center.

The Mayor of the City of Framingham, Senate President Karen Spilka, and Rep. Danielle Gregoire have all been outspoken that the Center is needed in Framingham and MetroWest.

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“Given the evolving nature of COVID-19, the Department will conduct a hearing pursuant to 105 CMR 130.122(D) virtually by conference call in order to promote public access. This hearing will not be adjudicatory in nature, but rather a public forum for the presentation of any comments which may be relevant to the Department’s consideration of the proposed change,” according to the legal notice which was published in a daily newspaper on May 20.

Members of the public and other interested parties may join the hearing by phone 888-390-5007 Passcode: 6294807.

Written comments concerning this matter may be submitted to the Department of Public Health, Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification, Attn: Closure Coordinator, 67 Forest Street, Marlborough, MA 01752 or by email to HFLLicenseAction@Mass.Gov.

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Comments will be accepted up to 9 p.m. on June 7.

All written comments submitted to the Department may be posted on the Department’s website and released in response to a request for public records.