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Nurses at Brigham and Women's Hospital Stand Against Burn Unit Closure

On January 20, 2026, nurses from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), are poised to testify before the Department of Public Health (DPH) in strong opposition to the proposal aimed at closing the hospital's ten-bed inpatient burn unit. Their primary concern revolves around the implications of this closure on patient safety and the hospital's capacity to handle emergency situations effectively.

The Importance of the Burn Unit

BWH's burn unit has a storied history, providing critical care not only to local patients but also serving as a vital resource during mass casualty incidents, such as the Boston Marathon Bombing. The expertise offered by the nursing staff in managing complex burn cases cannot be easily replicated, and the potential closure poses severe risks to both immediate patient care and the broader emergency preparedness of the region.

Katie Murphy, MNA President, plans to address the need for legislative measures that will reinforce Massachusetts' essential healthcare services closure laws. The MNA is backing three proposed bills that aim to ensure that healthcare services deemed necessary by the DPH are safeguarded, thereby allowing continued access to critical care for patients.

Urgent Public Hearing

The public hearing scheduled for January 20 will be a remote meeting, allowing participants to voice their concerns. Nurses insist that action needs to be taken immediately to prevent what they see as an unwarranted closure that would have long-lasting impacts on patient care.

Kelly Morgan, a labor and delivery nurse and the Chair of the BWH MNA, stated, "We will urge DPH to designate the Brigham burn beds as an essential service to ensure patients have the life-saving care they need. Burn care depends on specialized nurses with extensive hands-on experience. Once that expertise is dismantled, it will be irrevocably lost."

Recent Incidents Raise Alarm

Recent events highlight the dire situation regarding burn care availability. A recent case involved a severely burned patient who could not be transported to BWH due to a lack of available burn physicians. The patient was left waiting for five hours at another facility, which significantly worsened their condition. This incident underscores the urgent need for maintaining and enhancing burn care capacity across Massachusetts.

Jim McCarthy, Vice Chair of the BWH MNA, emphasized, "We are already stretched thin as a state when it comes to specialized burn care. Closing the Brigham burn unit reduces capacity at a time when demand still exists. It is crucial that patients receive timely and expert care, especially when their lives are on the line."

Concerns about Care Quality

The nurses argue that consolidating the burn unit into a larger system does not necessarily improve care quality. The current staff at BWH brings decades of specialized experience to burn treatment, while the Mass General Brigham (MGH) unit often relies on temporary or float nurses, which could compromise patient outcomes.

Morgan pointed out, “This proposal would sacrifice a proven center of excellence for a consolidation effort that does not guarantee better care.” She pleaded for DPH to protect patient safety and to preserve essential healthcare access for the community.

Legislative Initiatives to Safeguard Healthcare Services

The proposed legislation includes:

• - An Act Relative to the Closing of Hospital Essential Services (H. 2469/S. 1503): Aimed at extending the notice period for healthcare service closures and requiring hospitals to consult with affected municipalities before proceeding.
• - An Act Preserving Access to Hospital Services (H. 2534/S. 1574): This bill mandates that the DPH creates a process to maintain hospital services deemed essential.
• - An Act Assessing Health Care Access (H. 2507/S.1610): This proposal calls for a comprehensive analysis of healthcare capacity in Massachusetts and the impact of previous unit closures on the healthcare landscape.

Nurses at BWH are uniting to voice their concerns, emphasizing the critical nature of specialized burn care in the region. As the DPH prepares to hear their testimony, it is clear that the fight to retain the burn unit at BWH is about far more than administrative decisions; it’s about protecting patient lives and ensuring the continued excellence in healthcare delivery that the hospital has long provided.

For more information on the Massachusetts Nurses Association and their advocacy efforts, visit MassNurses.org.