Brigham and Women’s nurses testify to stop closure of hospital’s burn unit

Nurses at Brigham and Women’s testified against a controversial plan to close the hospital’s inpatient burn unit.

They called in to express their concerns during a remote hearing with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Tuesday night.

Mass General Brigham wants to combine Brigham’s 10-bed burn unit with a larger one at Mass General Hospital.

Hospital officials said the plan would improve efficiency and care and comes after a nationwide decline in severe burn cases in recent years.

Nurses at Brigham and Women’s burn unit believe the closure would permanently dismantle irreplaceable clinical expertise.

“They’re going to be closing down beds that could potentially be of need later on,” said Stefan Strojwas, a longtime nurse at Brigham & Women’s burn unit. “Unfortunately, you can’t predict accidents. You can’t predict catastrophes.”

Stojwas has worked at Brigham and Women’s burn unit for 37 years.

He recalled the important role that the 10-bed burn unit played in treating patients after the Boston Marathon bombings in 2013 and the Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island in 2003.

“We’ve made a role for ourselves doing this. We don’t want to see patients suffer,” he told Boston 25 News. “Take a really hard look at how much can one hospital take on.”

If the state approves the proposal, the burn unit at Brigham and Women’s would shutter in March and transition to serve trauma and intensive care patients.

“These are critical skills you need instantly,” said Katie Murphy, president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association. “We believe it’s deskilling the nurses who are still at the Brigham and Women’s hospital.”

A spokesperson with Mass General Brigham told Boston 25 News that the decision will not result in a reduction of care. According to Mass General Brigham, the two separate burn care sites struggle to maintain certification because there are so few patients. A problem that will be fixed by focusing on one location.

“Burn care across Mass General Brigham has long been defined by clinical excellence, innovation, and compassion - saving and improving countless lives. As part of our continued commitment to this highly specialized field, we are launching the new, unified Mass General Brigham Burn Program at the Sumner M. Redstone Burn Center, ensuring the future of burn care remains strong and sustainable. By bringing our teams together, we will foster deeper collaboration, reduce duplication, and advance the standard of treatment for patients and providers alike. This is pending the regulatory approval process by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health,” an MGB spokesperson said.

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