The Department of Public Health held a public hearing Tuesday, March 26 in Roxbury on the closure of the Benjamin Healthcare Center on Fisher Ave. Mission Hill. Easily over 100 people were in attendance including Benjamin Staff, Patients and Its Administrator, Tony Francis, plus community residents and local politicians.
At the hearing, DPH wanted to hear comments on the closure plan. Specifically, the staff wanted to learn any proposed modification to the plan the Benjamin Administrator submitted. 16 days from the hearing, it issues its decision on the proposed closure plan 16 days after that, the Benjamin Administrator has to respond to the decision.
The first speaker was the Home Administrator who explained how prices and salaries have gone up but insurance fails to cover the increased cost. They are operating at a deficit and he can not see any way out but to close. The Administrator was surrounded by 3 people who appeared to be his lawyers at the hearing. They hustled him out the back door at the end of the hearing.
Everyone else was against the closure of the home.
Most people got up and asked for DPH to appoint a receiver to take over the nursing home and work to get it fiscally viable. (This has happened twice in the past.) All said how important it is to have a local nursing home run by and for people of color in Boston as was the donor’s intendent in creating the home and the nonprofit organization in 1927.
Many elected officials attended: State Sen. Liz Miranda; State Rep. S. Montana; District Counciler Ben Webber; and At Large Councilor Henery Santana. All asked that DPH appoint a receiver and work towards keeping the Benjamin open. Councilor Webber talked of how the proposed closure plan presented a “risk of imminent harm” to the residents which is the standard for rejecting a closure plan.
Mayor Wu could not make it but she sent Emily Shea who is the City Age Strong Commissioner. Commissioner Shea spoke in support of keeping the facility open. The Age Strong Department also provided its Senior Shuttles to get Patients and others to the hearing.
Other speakers included the staff who asked for the Benjamin to remain operating. The nurses said, even though there was no PPE during the pandemic, they came to work. Even though there is not the needed equipment for patient care, they come to work to care for their patients. Even though they did not get paid, they came to work. They continue to come even with the threat of closure, they come to work to care for the residents. The nurses advocated strongly for the patients. These nurses and workers deserve an award.
People whose loved ones were living at the nursing home for a long time also got up and talked. All said the quality of life for their love one would have been terrible if they were at a home far away from Boston. One man shared how he was able to visit his wife every day for 8 years after she suffered a debilitating stroke that left her unable to speak, hear, see, or move. If she had been in a home in Lowell, he would not have been able to see her as often.
Almost everyone said or implied that the Administrator Tony Francis was being fiscally irresponsible and maybe spending money on himself. He also reduced the Board from 20 people to 3, including himself as the Board President.
As the MHHM Executive Director, I made the following comments:
Thank you to the Department of Public Health (DPH) for this opportunity to testify on the Edgar Benjamin Healthcare Center and for holding the public hearing in Roxbury. I am Mary Ann Nelson, Executive Director of the Mission Hill Health Movement.
The Mission Hill Health Movement (MHHM) is half the age of the Benjamin Healthcare Center but shares the common mission of advocating for health care for local residents, especially residents of color. Mr. Edgar Benjamin and other Black Americans were concerned about health equity in 1920’s, just as the MHHM and Americans of Color are still fighting for it today.
The Benjamin Healthcare Center is an important institution in the Mission Hill, Roxbury community. Family and friends of MHHM Board members and Mission Hill residents have convalesced or resided at the Benjamin. The location is extremely convenient for family members to stay engaged with their loved ones.
The MHHM will not comment on past operations as others will do that with better knowledge. However, as a non-profit organization that strives to operate to achieve its purpose, the MHHM is astounded that a non-profit of the size and importance of the Benjamin Healthcare Center was allowed to operate in a manner that it could no longer serve its mission.
The MHHM asks that DPH does not approve the closure of the facility and that DPH places the facility into receivership, appoint a receiver, and remove Mr. Tony Francis as Administrator of the Facility. DPH should direct the Board of Directors whose current President is the Administrator, Mr. Francis, to become current with all of the organization’s filings required by law to all government agencies and authorities. Mr. Francis should step down as Board President. The goal should be for the Benjamin Healthcare Center to remain, either as a free-standing organization, or as part of a larger health care organization.
If DPH decides to approve the closure, the MHHM asks that the closure date be changed to July 1, 2025. This will provide time for families and guardians to find new facilities for their loved ones. Also, direct that the facility be staffed to serve residents safely. DPH should allow the facility to accept short-term clients until the closure date to help support the operational expenses. DPH should direct the facility management and the nonprofit Board to work with state and city organizations and private financial institutions to ensure sufficient operating funds. DPH should appoint a temporary administrator to oversee the daily operations and the closure. This will eliminate the concerns patients, family, and staff may have about retribution for their delays in finding new places for themselves or their family members. Also, it will allow them to safely participate in any investigation of the facility and non-profit board operations by the Attorney General. DPH should also prohibit any self-dealing between the Administrator or other staff and the Board Members. You should ask the Attorney General to oversee the appointment of a new Board of Directors.
[I said, going off script, that the MHHM was writing a letter to the Massachusetts Attorney General to ask her to investigate the operation of the non-profit organization that runs the facility.]
The Mission Hill Health Movement is available to assist in all of the matters. [and all parties.]
Thank you for your time and consideration.
-------
We need to keep on top of this and not allow a valuable long term community caring center to be lost.
At the hearing, DPH wanted to hear comments on the closure plan. Specifically, the staff wanted to learn any proposed modification to the plan the Benjamin Administrator submitted. 16 days from the hearing, it issues its decision on the proposed closure plan 16 days after that, the Benjamin Administrator has to respond to the decision.
The first speaker was the Home Administrator who explained how prices and salaries have gone up but insurance fails to cover the increased cost. They are operating at a deficit and he can not see any way out but to close. The Administrator was surrounded by 3 people who appeared to be his lawyers at the hearing. They hustled him out the back door at the end of the hearing.
Everyone else was against the closure of the home.
Most people got up and asked for DPH to appoint a receiver to take over the nursing home and work to get it fiscally viable. (This has happened twice in the past.) All said how important it is to have a local nursing home run by and for people of color in Boston as was the donor’s intendent in creating the home and the nonprofit organization in 1927.
Many elected officials attended: State Sen. Liz Miranda; State Rep. S. Montana; District Counciler Ben Webber; and At Large Councilor Henery Santana. All asked that DPH appoint a receiver and work towards keeping the Benjamin open. Councilor Webber talked of how the proposed closure plan presented a “risk of imminent harm” to the residents which is the standard for rejecting a closure plan.
Mayor Wu could not make it but she sent Emily Shea who is the City Age Strong Commissioner. Commissioner Shea spoke in support of keeping the facility open. The Age Strong Department also provided its Senior Shuttles to get Patients and others to the hearing.
Other speakers included the staff who asked for the Benjamin to remain operating. The nurses said, even though there was no PPE during the pandemic, they came to work. Even though there is not the needed equipment for patient care, they come to work to care for their patients. Even though they did not get paid, they came to work. They continue to come even with the threat of closure, they come to work to care for the residents. The nurses advocated strongly for the patients. These nurses and workers deserve an award.
People whose loved ones were living at the nursing home for a long time also got up and talked. All said the quality of life for their love one would have been terrible if they were at a home far away from Boston. One man shared how he was able to visit his wife every day for 8 years after she suffered a debilitating stroke that left her unable to speak, hear, see, or move. If she had been in a home in Lowell, he would not have been able to see her as often.
Almost everyone said or implied that the Administrator Tony Francis was being fiscally irresponsible and maybe spending money on himself. He also reduced the Board from 20 people to 3, including himself as the Board President.
As the MHHM Executive Director, I made the following comments:
Thank you to the Department of Public Health (DPH) for this opportunity to testify on the Edgar Benjamin Healthcare Center and for holding the public hearing in Roxbury. I am Mary Ann Nelson, Executive Director of the Mission Hill Health Movement.
The Mission Hill Health Movement (MHHM) is half the age of the Benjamin Healthcare Center but shares the common mission of advocating for health care for local residents, especially residents of color. Mr. Edgar Benjamin and other Black Americans were concerned about health equity in 1920’s, just as the MHHM and Americans of Color are still fighting for it today.
The Benjamin Healthcare Center is an important institution in the Mission Hill, Roxbury community. Family and friends of MHHM Board members and Mission Hill residents have convalesced or resided at the Benjamin. The location is extremely convenient for family members to stay engaged with their loved ones.
The MHHM will not comment on past operations as others will do that with better knowledge. However, as a non-profit organization that strives to operate to achieve its purpose, the MHHM is astounded that a non-profit of the size and importance of the Benjamin Healthcare Center was allowed to operate in a manner that it could no longer serve its mission.
The MHHM asks that DPH does not approve the closure of the facility and that DPH places the facility into receivership, appoint a receiver, and remove Mr. Tony Francis as Administrator of the Facility. DPH should direct the Board of Directors whose current President is the Administrator, Mr. Francis, to become current with all of the organization’s filings required by law to all government agencies and authorities. Mr. Francis should step down as Board President. The goal should be for the Benjamin Healthcare Center to remain, either as a free-standing organization, or as part of a larger health care organization.
If DPH decides to approve the closure, the MHHM asks that the closure date be changed to July 1, 2025. This will provide time for families and guardians to find new facilities for their loved ones. Also, direct that the facility be staffed to serve residents safely. DPH should allow the facility to accept short-term clients until the closure date to help support the operational expenses. DPH should direct the facility management and the nonprofit Board to work with state and city organizations and private financial institutions to ensure sufficient operating funds. DPH should appoint a temporary administrator to oversee the daily operations and the closure. This will eliminate the concerns patients, family, and staff may have about retribution for their delays in finding new places for themselves or their family members. Also, it will allow them to safely participate in any investigation of the facility and non-profit board operations by the Attorney General. DPH should also prohibit any self-dealing between the Administrator or other staff and the Board Members. You should ask the Attorney General to oversee the appointment of a new Board of Directors.
[I said, going off script, that the MHHM was writing a letter to the Massachusetts Attorney General to ask her to investigate the operation of the non-profit organization that runs the facility.]
The Mission Hill Health Movement is available to assist in all of the matters. [and all parties.]
Thank you for your time and consideration.
-------
We need to keep on top of this and not allow a valuable long term community caring center to be lost.
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