Butler Hospital is closing its addiction unit

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Butler Hospital is closing its addiction unit next week, reducing the facility’s capacity by nearly 100 beds and leaving it operating at about half its 197-bed limit, a hospital spokesperson confirmed.

The decision comes just months after hundreds of unionized employees staged a strike in May during tense contract talks with management. At the end of July, workers voted down what hospital officials called their “last, best, and final” offer, arguing it failed to lift the lowest-paid employees to a livable wage. Hospital leaders countered that the proposal was “market-leading” and would have raised the lowest pay rate to over $18 an hour.

Negotiations resumed Wednesday, with both sides back at the table in an effort to reach an agreement.