The commonwealth’s largest nurses union is worried about the future of health care in Western Massachusetts.

“Springfield and the greater Western Massachusetts region cannot afford to lose another hospital service,” Jaime Hyatt, RN, and Dee Doyle, RN, co-chairs of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) Bargaining Committee at Mercy, said in a statement Thursday.

The fears come after leaders of Mercy Medical Center and Baystate Health are in talks that could result in an acquisition or merger of the two leading Springfield hospitals, according to the Republican newspaper.

But the nature of the deal and its impact on employees and services — or whether it will even happen — are yet to be seen, despite what the Republican reported three months ago. And that worries the association.

“The planning for the sale of Providence Hospital occurred in secret under the Baker administration, involving Trinity Health, the state, and for-profit Health Partners New England, with the deal announced only after it was complete,” the MNA statement read. “That lack of transparency eroded public trust and left workers and patients with no voice in decisions that affected their care.”

The nurses’ union had hoped that the process would be different under the Healey administration.

“The people of Western Massachusetts deserve open communication, public accountability and genuine collaboration to ensure that patient care and community needs remain the top priorities,” the union said. “The Healey administration has an opportunity to demonstrate a new level of transparency and partnership by working closely with nurses, patients and local officials during this temporary closure and in any potential sale of the hospital.”

A spokeswoman for the state Department of Public Health said in July that it had not received any notice regarding a potential acquisition of Mercy Medical Center by Baystate Health. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding the sale on Friday.

But two people confirmed to the Republican that month that talks were underway between Baystate and Mercy. They declined to be identified as neither was authorized to speak for the institutions. But both indicated they have direct knowledge of the status of the possible business combination.

Sources, once again, confirmed to the Republican that talks of the sale have continued into November.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association asked the owner of Mercy Medical Center in June if the Springfield hospital is for sale.

Trinity Health New England’s answer, according to documents provided by MNA spokesman Joe Markman, left the door open to the possibility of a transaction.

“Mercy Medical Center looks at opportunities in the marketplace in the normal course of business to support our mission of providing exceptional health care in our communities,” Trinity responded during contract negotiations with the nurses union in April.

“We are always exploring potential partnerships and collaborations with other providers that we think would improve the delivery of health care in our community,” the institution told the union. “There is nothing for us to share at this time.”

In 2024, Trinity Health of New England Medical Group posted a total profit of $475 million but an operating loss of $68.4 million, the Republican reported. But those numbers include figures from facilities outside Massachusetts, according to the Center for Health Information and Analysis.

Trinity’s Springfield hospital, Mercy Medical Center, alone lost $29.8 million. It had the lowest margin among independent hospitals and the 10th-lowest total margin among all hospitals at 9.2%.

“Mercy’s financial losses are primarily driven by a public payer mix that is among the most challenging in the state, with nearly 80% of the patients Mercy serves being covered by government payers (Medicare and Medicaid), which pay far below the cost to provide care,” Mary Orr, Mercy spokesperson, said in a written statement.

It’s a complex health care landscape, she said. Mercy is focused on initiatives and opportunities to maintain area residents’ access to care.

On Thursday, Mercy Medical Center’s Family Life Center announced it is planning to temporarily stop maternity and newborn services in December, which Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, called “challenging for the community.”

DPH said it will continue to closely monitor the situation and provide guidance and oversight as needed.

Plus, earlier this year, many doctors and staff at Mercy began looking for new jobs after Trinity Health told them it planned to outsource staff in the emergency room to Vituity — a for-profit, physician-owned group from California whose arrival previously caused staff departures at hospitals in Connecticut.

“It’s not good for Springfield,” one staff member told MassLive.

And in June, the Trinity Health of New England Medical Group said obstetric and gynecological services at the Agawam location were being consolidated, and that patients were being redirected to the Trinity Health of New England Medical Group office in Chicopee or the Bicentennial Highway location in Springfield.

Republican reporter Jim Kinney contributed to this reporting.