Brigham Nurses Oppose Plan to Relocate Burn Unit to Mass General, Urge MGB to Keep Specialized Care at BWH with Highly Trained Nurses

MNA nurses emphasize Brigham burn care excellence belongs at BWH; many nurses will remain because of MNA contract protections at BWH

BOSTON, Nov. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The 4,000 Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) nurses represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) strongly oppose Mass General Brigham's (MGB) plan to move the Brigham's burn program to Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). BWH has a nationally respected team of highly specialized burn nurses whose expertise should remain accessible to patients at BWH and not be moved due to corporate consolidation.

The hospital said it would notify the Department of Public Health of its intended change on Tuesday, November 25. On Monday, BWH told staff that pending regulatory approval, the BWH and MGH burn programs would be merged into a single systemwide program located at MGH as of March 2026. BWH burn nurses on Tower 8 can continue working at BWH as the unit transitions to care for critical care patients. The MNA contract prevents the forced transfer of nurses. BWH nurses oppose removing burn services from the hospital and believe this change will weaken the hospital's ability to care for some of the most critically injured patients.

"This is the wrong decision for our patients and our nurses," said Kelly Morgan, labor and delivery nurse and BWH MNA Chair. "Brigham nurses bring extraordinary clinical skill, specialized training, and decades of experience in burn care to this hospital. These skills belong here at the Brigham, not moved across the system. Our patient care community deserves direct access to burn expertise at BWH."

MNA nurses also point out that many Brigham burn nurses are likely to remain at BWH because of the strong job protections, as well as the excellent pension, health insurance, and other benefits secured under their MNA union contract.

"Brigham burn unit nurses are not only experts, but they are also deeply committed to the Brigham," said Jim McCarthy, PACU nurse and BWH MNA Vice Chair. "Our contract guarantees they cannot be forced to transfer, and it ensures better retirement protections, better health insurance choice, and stronger workplace protections than what is available at non-union hospitals like MGH. We expect most burn unit nurses will choose to stay because of the union difference at BWH."

Nurses also expressed concern that shifting burn care away from BWH risks diminishing institutional knowledge that has defined Brigham burn care for generations. They have emphasized that consolidation is being driven by system-level decisions rather than by patient need. While the hospital will maintain Tower 8 as a critical care unit, nurses say removing burn care from the Brigham undermines a legacy of innovation, compassion, and excellence built by generations of BWH burn nurses.

"We will fight to ensure this highly specialized care remains available to the patients who rely on the Brigham," Kelly Morgan said. "Our nurses' expertise is irreplaceable, and we will not allow corporate decisions to override what is best for patients, staff, and our community."

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Founded in 1903, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is the largest union of registered nurses in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Its 26,000 members advance the nursing profession by fostering high standards of nursing practice, promoting the economic and general welfare of nurses in the workplace, projecting a positive and realistic view of nursing, and by lobbying the Legislature and regulatory agencies on health care issues affecting nurses and the public.

SOURCE Massachusetts Nurses Association