McKee, RI health office working on contingency plans in event of Fatima, RWMC closures

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee weighed in Tuesday on the possible closure of Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital.

McKee said that his administration opposes the possible closures, and that contingency plans have are in the works in conjunction with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

These plans are aimed at protecting patient care and “engaging with another potential operator that is currently conducting due diligence, reinforcing our commitment to keeping these hospitals open and serving their communities.”

McKee also said in the statement:

Our priority is to ensure that Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital remain open and operating. These facilities are essential to their communities and to Rhode Island’s health care system as a whole.

A spokesperson for Governor McKee shared the following additional statement:

“When the state realized that Centurion was having significant difficulty acquiring financing to complete the transaction, Secretary Charest reached out to Prime to inquire about their interest in possibly becoming an interim manager and ultimately a purchaser of the hospitals. Prime indicated that they may have interest.”