Friends of Fellsmere Heights Concerned About Potential Sale of Malden Hospital

Surveyors have recently been seen surveying the Malden Hospital site. Land surveys are generally undertaken right before the process of purchasing the land is completed.

The Friends of Fellsmere Heights (FoFH) has been working hard toward the goal of engaging the community, and getting their feedback as to how they would like to see the land developed. The purpose of our non-profit corporation is “to promote … community open space so residents and visitors can both enjoy the beauty of nature and gather in a sense of community; … to defend the generous donations, primarily by Malden residents, to the former Malden Hospital Trust by helping ensure that the assets and land-–situated in Malden and Medford between Fellsmere Park and Fulton Heights-–of the former trust serve local public charitable interests and the local need for public open space for public health; and to actively seek and hold land or easements in these environs for these purposes .” Malden ranks second to last as compared to surrounding communities in terms of percentage of protected open space in perpetuity. Only Somerville ranks lower on the list. We want to move forward with the vision that the community has agreed is in the public interest.

To that end, the FoFH has begun a legal review of the history surrounding this site:

– Malden Hospital was incorporated in 1890, with land largely donated by Elisha and Mary Converse, as well as the Metropolitan Park Commission and the City of Malden

– Hallmark Health acquired Malden Hospital in 1999, promising to keep the hospital doors open

– The Hospital was closed two years later, and has remained vacant for the last 15 years.

– “Hallmark Health neither purchased the land for the Malden Hospital, nor it paid for the hospital’s construction, development, or equipment, but became its ‘owner’ after the merger.” (Malden Observer, Inna Babitskaya, Feb 27, 2012).

Given that the donation of the land for the benefit of the Malden Hospital was made to create a public benefit for the community, the FoFH want to make sure Malden, Medford, and our neighbors can continue to benefit from the generosity of earlier generations, and that this land continues to serve the public interest, and not just the interest of the corporation that closed the doors to improve their bottom line.

If this land is sold to a person or entity other than a public charity, the law requires that the Attorney General
review the “sale of significant assets of a non-profit health maintenance organization to a for-profit entity.” To that end, the FoFH has formally requested that Attorney General Healey conduct such a review. You can read the request to Attorney General Healey on our website, and see our Freedom of Information request, with the response that the AG’s office has no relevant records.

Visit www.FellsmereHeights.com to read the story, and let us know if you can help shape the ending!

The Friends of Fellsmere Heights Team can be reached at: info@fellsmereheights.org.

– Submitted by The Friends of Fellsmere Heights