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Lawsuit filed against Compass Medical after offices abruptly close, leaving thousands in limbo

ROCKLAND, Mass — The injury law firm Keches Law Group has filed a class-action lawsuit against Compass Medical after the based healthcare company abruptly closed all of its offices in Southeast Massachusetts Wednesday, leaving patients and employees in limbo.

In a statement to Boston 25 News, Keches says 70,000 have been affected by the sudden closure of Compass Medical offices in Braintree, East Bridgewater, Easton, Middleboro, Quincy and Taunton.

“The suit alleges the action is negligent and violates Department of Health policies and is patient abandonment, leaving patients scrambling to find medical care,” a spokesperson for the law group told Boston 25 News. “This comes as the Attorney General’s Office investigates the sudden closure.”

Richard Callahan is the primary plaintiff in the case and is being represented by attorney Jonathan Sweet.

In a video posted Thursday morning on Twitter, a woman who identifies herself as a Compass Medical nurse said she was soon having her last day with the company after 26 years.

“We got to go in today to ‘button up,’” Kim Jankowski said. “I’m wearing T-shirt and jeans today. I’m scared, really scared. This is all I know.”

Jankowski was one of hundreds of workers left stranded when Compass abruptly announced Wednesday the closure of its six medical facilities south of Boston.

The company employed over 500 people and served over 100,000 patients in southeastern Massachusetts as of 2017, according to Suffolk County court filings by Compass that year.

A statement on Compass’ website cites “a steady stream of challenges.”

Last October, a Suffolk County jury found Compass committed fraud against Steward Health Care – but Compass has yet to pay a $16.4 million judgment to Steward. A spokesperson for Steward said the lawsuit has “nothing to do with them going bankrupt.”

The closure of Compass Medical will further jeopardize access to health care in southeastern Massachusetts, where Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital remains shuttered likely until the year’s end following a February fire.

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