By George P. Hassett

The city’s only hospital is closing its intensive and transitional care units and shifting all off-hours emergency surgeries to Cambridge Hospital. However, at a meeting with aldermen on Monday, Cambridge Health Alliance officials maintained the cutbacks at Somerville Hospital – which will save CHA $4.9 million a year, will have no effect on the quality of care they provide.

‚ÄúWe do not feel we are abandoning our patients,‚Äù said Cambridge Health Alliance CEO Dennis Keefe at the meeting. 

Alderman-at-Large William A. White said he was most concerned about the decision to shift off hour surgeries to Cambridge.

“This is the one that gives me pause. Because if there is a mistake made here, someone could die,” he said.

White said he was worried someone in trauma could be brought to Somerville Hospital by a relative or friend who does not realize the hospital has stopped performing surgeries after hours.

CHA Emergency Medicine Chief Assaad Sayah said Somerville Hospital officials are already transferring the most critical surgeries to Cambridge Hospital. Last year 53 operating room cases occurred during off hours, costing the hospital $500,000. All off hour cases will be sent to Cambridge in May 2008.

The cutbacks will also claim at least 32 jobs in the Transitional Care Unit, which will close on June 30, 2008. The closure of the unit will save the Cambridge health Alliance $3.3 million, according to Keefe. Currently, about 450 patients a year are cared for at the Transitional Care Unit, also known as a skilled nursing facility.

The closest transitional care units, according to CHA officials at Monday’s meeting, are in Brockton and Holyoke.

Closing the city’s only Intensive Care Unit will save CHA $900,000 a year. Chief Operating Officer Allison Bayer said closing the ICU and combining it with the Medical Surgical will improve care.
Overall, Keefe said the changes should improve care as Health Alliance operations are streamlined.

The city’s public health director Noreen Burke said after the meeting that she was confident the cutbacks would not harm the quality of care offered to Somerville residents. Alderman-at-Large John M. Connolly asked Alliance officials to return to the board in September with any updates.