The Steward Health Care crisis rattling Massachusetts is coming to a head as the Dallas-based company says it will close Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer.

“Over the past several months, Steward Health Care has been actively working to sell or transition all its Massachusetts hospitals and we are in active final negotiations to sell six of them,” the company said in a statement on Friday. “Despite the extensive sale process, which involved close coordination with lenders and regulators, there were no qualified bids for two hospitals, Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center, and, unfortunately, they will be closing.”

The two facilities will shut down on or around Aug. 31, Steward said in its statement.

The development comes after Gov. Maura Healey indicated on Tuesday that all of Steward’s operational Massachusetts hospitals received bids for purchase during an auction held last week without providing further details.

“We’ve received qualified bids, we’re evaluating those now and it’s currently with the parties right now in New York,” the governor said.

Steward, which operates eight Bay State Hospitals, announced in May that it wasn’t able to keep up with its debts and would need to file Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

Steward’s other facilities in Massachusetts include Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton, Holy Family Hospitals in Haverhill and Methuen, Morton Hospital in Taunton, Saint Anne’s Hospital in Fall River, and St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton.

The company’s Norwood Hospital has been closed since 2020 due to flooding, and the company closed New England Sinai Hospital permanently in April.

Healey, in a statement after the development broke Friday, blasted Steward CEO Dr. Ralph de la Torre and his company’s “selfish greed and mismanagement” that the governor said prompted the closure of Carney and Nashoba Valley.

“This is not over,” Healey said. “These hospitals have long served their communities – their closures are about more than the loss of beds, doctors, and nurses. We want to assure the people of Massachusetts that we have prepared diligently for this moment and will take all available steps to help facilitate a smooth transition for impacted patients and employees.”

The two hospitals, for now, remain open and “will proceed through an orderly and regulated closure,” according to the governor’s office.

A bankruptcy judge will need to approve Steward’s motion to close, and the company is required to send a closure notice to the state Department of Public Health which will then “facilitate a transition for impacted patients and employees,” the office added.

State Sen. Jamie Eldridge, whose district includes Ayer, in a post on X, said he is counting on Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell to “continue to work to stop any hospital from closing, create a transition plan and enforce the 120-day closure law.”

“I’m heartbroken to hear from town of Ayer that @Steward will be closing Nashoba Valley Medical Center,” Eldridge wrote. “A treasured community hospital.”

Friday’s announcement also comes after the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted to launch a Congressional investigation into what led Steward to file for bankruptcy protections in May and to subpoena on-the-record testimony from de la Torre, who they say is ultimately responsible for the company’s failure and answerable to its patients.

With the committee’s 16 – 4 vote, de la Torre will be required to appear before the lawmakers in D.C. on September 12.

“Under Dr. de la Torre’s leadership, health providers and hospital administrators watched emergency room lines grow, forced to face patients knowing that they did not have the resources nor staff needed to provide the world-class care that Steward and Dr. de la Torre promised,” U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, said Thursday.

Filaine Deronnette, vice president at-large of 1199SEIU, called the closures “devastating.” 1199SEIU represents nearly 80,000 healthcare workers across Massachusetts.

“Steward Health Care’s decision to close Carney Hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center is devastating, which will create hospital deserts and exacerbate health inequities in the communities they serve,” Deronnette said in a statement. “Patients across Massachusetts will now ultimately pay the price of Steward’s mismanagement if care is pushed miles away and ER capacities reach crisis level.

“The future of care in Massachusetts is at risk, she added. “The healthcare workers of 1199SEIU urge all stakeholders to establish and implement a transition plan that helps mitigate the reduction of care in these communities.”

Healey further highlighted Friday how Steward “received several bids to not only maintain but improve five of their hospitals in three key regions.” The governor is demanding the company to “finalize these deals that are in their best interest and the best interest of patients and workers.”

As healthcare facilities continue to feel the brunt of the Steward crisis, the state has rolled out an online dashboard that allows patients to map nearby hospitals, understand the services available at each location, and view monthly updates on patient volumes and available beds to help residents connect to nearby services.

In June, according to the state’s data, an average of 13 of Carney’s 83 medical beds were filled and an average of 11 of Nashoba’s 46 beds were filled.

State officials are encouraging patients at Carney and Nashoba Valley to “contact their providers to discuss referrals and make arrangements for the transfer of records.”

“As this process continues, I want to particularly recognize the employees at Steward hospitals who have continued to work day after day to provide care and comfort to patients in need,” Healey said. “These employees have demonstrated a selfless commitment to their patients, and I am immensely grateful to them. We are committed to supporting them through this transition, as well as the communities who will be impacted by these closures.”