Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced a significant development regarding the sale of Roger Williams Medical Center and Fatima Hospital. The Bankruptcy Court has approved Prospect Medical Holdings' sale of these hospitals to the Centurion Foundation.
Neronha stated, "Over the past several weeks, my Office met with counsel for Prospect and the Centurion Foundation to discuss Prospect’s request for bankruptcy court approval of the sale of Roger Williams and Fatima to Centurion." He noted that Prospect filed a revised Proposed Order incorporating conditions from both his office and RIDOH's HCA and CEC Decisions. Approval is contingent on meeting obligations to Rhode Island.
Chief Bankruptcy Judge Stacey G. Jerginan approved the sale order, aligning with Neronha's position. This decision allows the private sale to proceed as planned.
Neronha expressed cautious optimism about this development, emphasizing that all parties prioritized moving the hospitals away from private equity back to local control. However, he warned that closing could still be halted if conditions are unmet, citing unfulfilled information requests involving critical financial data.
He stressed the importance of these hospitals: "These safety-net hospitals are absolutely critical for maintaining delivery of safe, affordable and accessible health care services in Rhode Island." Both facilities serve largely underserved communities, making their continued viability essential.
The Attorney General concluded by stating that meeting all conditions would bring them closer to finalizing this transition successfully.