Healthcare Breaking News: Judge approves Steward Hospital closure, TWU completes Health Sciences Building

Dallas-based Steward Health Care has received approval from U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Christopher Lopez to close its Massachusetts-based Kearney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center. The system declared bankruptcy in May and announced plans to close both hospitals in late July. The system aims to sell all 31 of its hospitals and physician groups and will close its Massachusetts facilities by Aug. 31. This summer, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s administration gave the system $30 million to keep its hospitals open through the end of the month. Boston-based Kearney Hospital has 159 beds, and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, Massachusetts, has 46 beds.

Texas Woman’s University officials and partners celebrated the completion of the university’s new Health Sciences Center. The $107 million, 136,000-square-foot building will focus on serving rural patients and help connect students with allied health fields. Scheduled to open in fall 2025, the facility will include labs, classrooms, collaborative spaces, an outdoor clinic, a teaching kitchen, a community health care clinic and student training space.

The Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth has once again been ranked among the top 15 primary care medical schools in the 2024 U.S. News & World Report rankings. The tier 1 status follows the No. 11 ranking the school received from U.S. News last year. The school has risen from No. 72 in 2020 to the top 15 over the past four years, making it one of only two schools in Texas to achieve tier 1 status, and one of only two osteopathic medical schools.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Coalition has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval and the American Heart Association’s Heart Check Mark Primary Stroke Center accreditation, signifying the hospital’s ability to meet the needs of stroke patients. The hospital sees more than 50,000 patients annually, and the American Heart Association predicts stroke rates will nearly double over the next 30 years. Texas Health operates three hospitals designated as Comprehensive Stroke Centers and seven hospitals certified as Primary Stroke Centers.