The practice has been located at 294 Washington St. for at least 25 years, and some of its 8,000 to 10,000 patients work in downtown Boston, according to one clinic employee who insisted on anonymity because of fear of reprisals.
Five doctors, one nurse practitioner, and more than a dozen employees met at the practice Tuesday afternoon with high-ranking MGB officials, according to the employee.
MGB officials said the six providers and most of the staffers will be offered jobs at other primary care practices affiliated with Massachusetts General Hospital. Nonetheless, employees had expected MGB to find another location in Downtown Crossing to keep the practice intact. Several employees had worked together for years and wept when hearing the practice would be breaking up.
“There were definitely multiple people crying,” said the employee. “It was honestly kind of heartbreaking.”
The employee said that MGB officials have begun meeting with the clinicians to find other primary care clinics where they might work. Providers are hoping that many long-term patients will follow them to other practices.
The breakup comes at a time when many Massachusetts residents, including thousands who are patients at MGB, are struggling to find primary care physicians.
In September of 2025, MGB launched “Care Connect,” an AI-powered platform for what was then estimated to be 15,000 MGB patients without a primary care doctor. A chatbot that is available 24/7 interviews the patient, then sets up a telehealth appointment with a physician in as little as half an hour. MGB was among the first health care systems nationally to roll out such an app.
The same year, MGB pledged to invest nearly $400 million over the next five years to enhance primary care, citing a nationwide shortage of doctors, physician burnout, and demand for care outstripping resources.
But MGB, whose two flagship hospitals are Mass. General Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, is facing financial pressures. An impending strike by Brigham nurses, set for Nov. 12, only adds to the pressures.
About two weeks ago, MGB disclosed that it had begun to make its second round of layoffs in less than two years to boost its financial picture. MGB has been tight-lipped about how many layoffs have occurred so far and said it can’t provide even a ballpark figure for how many of its roughly 85,000 employees will lose their jobs. The health system says it is trying to achieve savings over the next two years through other means before it lays off workers.
Pastore said Wednesday that the closing of MGH Downtown Associates had nothing to do with the health care system’s effort to improve its operating margin.
“To be clear, this is not a [staff] reduction,” she said in an email. “The building is closing and we need to vacate, and [MGB has] other nearby practices.”
Jonathan Saltzman can be reached at jonathan.saltzman@globe.com.