By Judy Foreman, Globe Staff, 03/30/00

St. John of God, a small chronic care hospital in Brighton run by the Caritas Christi Health Care System, will close soon, the hospital said yesterday.

The tiny hospital, which currently cares for 24 patients, has been financially struggling for years with problems of low patient population and low reimbursement, said Richard Doherty, senior vice president for public affairs in the Caritas Christi system.

By May 13, the seven patients in the hospital's transitional care unit will be discharged or sent to other rehab facilities, Doherty said. By June 5, the 17 patients in the hospital's chronic care unit will be transferred to hospitals.

The hospital has notified its 113 employees and the state Department of Public Health of its imminent closing.

The Caritas Christi system is the second-largest health care system in Eastern Massachusetts, after Partners Healthcare System Inc. It is the health care unit of the Archdiocese of Boston.

Some Caritas Christi programs at St. John will not be shut down. These include the Caritas Good Samaritan Hospice (non-residential), the Caritas Home Care Program, and a parish-based ministry.

In addition, Seton Manor, a residential program for people with HIV and AIDS that is run by Catholic Charities, the human services unit of the archdiocese, will continue operating.

The Brighton community will feel the loss of the hospital, Doherty said. But people also "understand that there are some real financial challenges facing extended-care facilities like St. John," he said.

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