Nurses union to McKee, HHS: ‘Stop unlawfully interfering’ with healthcare facilities deal

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — A nurses union is calling on Rhode Island Governor Dan McKee and the state HHS department to stay out of a pending deal to keep three local healthcare facilities open.

United Nurses and Allied Professionals are working on an agreement with Centurion to prevent the closure of Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, Roger Williams Medical Center and Prospect Home Health and Hospice.

The union will hold a press conference Tuesday at 3 p.m. in front of Our Lady of Fatima Hospital to address the deal, which is still being processed in a bankruptcy court.

According to the union, McKee and HHS Secretary Richard Charest are “unlawfully interfering with the Centurion deal.”

The union also claims that the company Prime has sent emails with quotes from Charest “that intentionally mislead the public about Prime’s record.”

Charest is the former CEO of Prime-owned Landmark Medical Center.

The facilities are in the process of being sold by Prospect Medical Holdings to the Centurion Foundation.

The union is also demanding that the CharterCARE Foundation turn over $6 million in charitable assets to keep the facilities open in the interim.

ABC6 has reached out to both Governor McKee and Secretary Charest’s offices for comment on this matter.