What to know about the upcoming hearing on MetroWest Medical Center cancer service closures

Editor's note: This story has been amended to clarify that because the hearing will be held in-person, a recording will not be available through the Massachusetts Department of Public Health after the fact.

FRAMINGHAM — In April, MetroWest Medical Center announced controversial plans to close some of its outpatient oncology services and relocate them to St. Vincent Hospital in Worcester.

But before that can happen, state law requires a public hearing where community members and stakeholders can share comments and air grievances.

Here’s what to know about that hearing, which is scheduled for July 6.

Where will the hearing be held?

The public hearing will be held in Nevins Hall at the Memorial Building (City Hall) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 6.

The hearing was originally scheduled to be held virtually via conference call on June 7, per a legal notice that ran in the Daily News on May 20. Mayor Charlie Sisitsky called the June 7 date “a surprise to everybody,” citing the ad’s lack of visibility and media attention in the days after it ran.

“Very few people knew about it, and it was a short window from the time they advertised it to the time that they were going to hold the hearing,” he said in an interview.

Related: After service, personnel changes, what's going on at MetroWest Medical Center?

Sisitsky said he reached out to Senate President Karen Spilka’s office to ask about moving the date and making the hearing in-person to better promote community participation.

“Not happy about the situation, I personally picked up the phone and reached out directly to (Secretary of Health and Human Services) Marylou Sudders — on a weekend, actually — and asked her point-blank to have the hearing rescheduled,” Spilka said in an interview.

Sudders agreed to reschedule the meeting and make it in-person in Framingham.

“There’s no real substitute than to see people and hear them in person, to have feedback, to give a response,” said Spilka, D-Ashland, whose legislative district includes Framingham. “To have the people that are … conducting the hearing hear the pleas of people, hear stories, see them, see the emotions, really does, I believe, make a difference.”

What’s the background?

Services slated for closure include oncology infusion and radiation oncology, according to a 90-day notice filed with the DPH. Medical oncology, cancer screening, imaging services and cancer-related surgery will remain at the Framingham campus.

MWMC’s announcement sparked concern among many in MetroWest, some of whom questioned the closures' impact on patients unable to travel further than Framingham for care.

“We get phone calls and emails all the time and everybody has the same story,” Sisitsky said. “They use this service at the hospital, they rely on it, and it would be very inconvenient for them to have to travel 40 minutes each way to Worcester to get that service.”

He added: “People that are getting chemotherapy or other treatments don’t feel like driving. It really takes a lot out of you when you get these treatments."

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Sisitsky said he believes “there’s a real need to have this service stay local, because it serves so many people.”

However, patient numbers have declined in recent years, according to figures MetroWest Medical Center supplied to the state.

Infusion oncology outpatient visits are expected to decrease by 10.1% from 2019 to 2022, with radiation oncology visits dropping 27.3% in the same time period, according to the memo. The hospital projects fewer than 4,000 outpatient visits for each service in 2022.

Due to those declines, MWMC "does not anticipate a significant impact" from discontinuing infusion and radiation oncology services, then-CEO Ava Collins wrote in a May 12 memo.

Why is the hearing happening?

The public hearing is a state requirement, part of the DPH process that occurs when a hospital wants to discontinue services within its facility or satellite campuses, according to the state's "hospital essential service closures" webpage.

Related: MetroWest Medical Center's CEO is leaving after 16 months on the job

The process provides a mechanism for the DPH to review changes and ensure that measures are in place to minimize community impact, according to the webpage, which also notes that the department "cannot legally require a hospital to keep a service open."

What happens next?

The hospital’s 90-day memo to the DPH gave target closure dates of Aug. 9 for infusion oncology and Oct. 31 for radiation oncology.

The state specifies a 60-day window between the public hearing and service closures, but the hospital's original service closure dates still stand, according to a DPH spokesperson.

Within 15 days after the hearing, the DPH will weigh in on whether the services are necessary for preserving health status and access within MWMC's service area. Should the department deem the services necessary, the hospital will be required to submit a plan assuring access.

Related: MetroWest Medical Center has a new chief nursing officer

Both Spilka and Sisitsky acknowledged that the state is limited in its actions and cannot require MetroWest Medical Center to continue services.

However, Spilka said she believes the DPH’s job is to make sure that measures are in place to address community concerns and ensure minimal impact from the closure, perhaps through alternative options for health care and transportation.

“I think that this hearing will make a difference,” she said.

Sisitsky said he hopes the public outcry will urge the hospital to reverse its decision or find a way to continue to provide those services locally by other means. He plans to attend on July 6 and speak up for his community.

“I think everybody that’s going to speak is going to be saying the same thing,” Sisitsky said. “They’re going to hear this over and over, all night long.”

Abby Patkin is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. Follow Abby on Twitter @AMPatkin. She can be reached at apatkin@wickedlocal.com.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Framingham hospital oncology services in the spotlight at DPH hearing