“As we speak the defendants in that lawsuit are being served,” said Senator William Conley, who serves Pawtucket and East Providence. “The cities of Pawtucket and Central Falls have Filed a lawsuit against Care New England, The RI Department of Health and the Attorney General’s Office. Through that lawsuit we’re asking the court to enjoin the dismantling of Memorial Hospital and make sure that those services continue while we go through this process of restructuring South Coast.”

Care New England, which manages Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket,  announced the closing on March 2. Since then there have been public hearings and rallies, but the plan to close the hospital seems to be continuing. Over 200 jobs are threatened. Conley is working pro bono as the lawyer on the case, and his work will compliment rather than complicate the legal work of Attorney Chris Callaci, who is representing the nurses union, UNAP 5082 in their efforts to keep Memorial open.

“When Memorial was licensed,” said Senator Conley, “a determination was made that this hospital was providing vital medical services to a core service area with higher social deprivation demographics than any other place in the state of Rhode island.

“That alone should be enough to tell us that you can’t relocate those services to Kent County.”