Collection on the Closing of Waltham Hospital

Collection

Identifier: WPL-009

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The Collection on the Closing of Waltham Hospital contains materials that trace the decline and closure of Deaconess-Waltham Hospital (1998-2002); the establishment of the Coalition to Save Waltham Hospital, Inc. (2002-2003); and the revival and subsequent closure of Waltham Hospital (2002-2010).

The bulk of the collection is made up of financial records and the records of various Boards of Trustees, both of which show the data behind and the process of decision making that ultimately led to the hospital's closing. Also present are correspondence, news articles, and the files of Anthony Mangini, who was on the hospital Board of Trustees for many years.

Dates

1998 - 2010

Biographical / Historical

Waltham Hospital was incorporated in 1885, as a 163-bed community hospital providing medical services to residents of Waltham, Weston, Watertown, Newton, and other surrounding communities. It was founded by Dr. Alfred Worcester and Dr. Edward Cutler, who were prominent physicians in the area. It operated as an independent community hospital for over a century.

In April 1985, the hospital changed its name to WalthamWeston Hospital and Medical Center, in an effort to more clearly demonstrate the hospital's wide service area. In 1995, the organization was acquired as part of Pathway Health Network, Inc. and changed its name again to Deaconess-Waltham Hospital. This merger allowed the hospital to become part of a large network of medical facilities. In 1998, Pathway Health Network merged with Beth Israel Medical Center and its affiliates to become CareGroup, Inc.

In January 2002, CareGroup announced its intent to close Deaconess-Waltham Hospital. Hospital staff and community members came together to form the Coalition to Save Waltham Hospital, Inc., which joined with Boulder Capital to take control of the hospital. They officially assumed control on June 1, 2002, giving the center its original name of Waltham Hospital, and returning to operating as an independent community hospital.

Around February 2003, the Waltham Hospital Board of Trustees noted that the hospital was unable to generate sufficient revenue in order to meet expenses, and on May 13, 2003, they announced the decision to close the hospital as of July 29, 2003. The Hospital corporation stated its intention to dissolve in 2005, and was officially dissolved on November 21, 2008.

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Sources:

-Waltham Hospital, "Report to the Community Relations and Development Committee," 2002 October

-Press release, "Waltham Hospital Board of Trustees Votes to Close Hospital," 2003 May 13

-Waltham Hospital Inc., "Note to Financial Statements," 2004 September 30

-Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, Docket Entry No. SJ-2005-0097