As a new deadline for bids looms for Steward Health Care to sell its eight Massachusetts hospitals — including Good Samaritan in Brockton, Morton in Taunton and Saint Anne's in Fall River — the state's senators — the state's senators urged the companies who own the facilities' real estate to sweeten the deal for prospective buyers.

Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, both Democrats, asked executives of Medical Properties Trust (MPT) and Macquarie Infrastructure Partners (MIP) to "offer long-term reductions in lease payments, early termination of leases, or other concessions to ensure that new operators can be found to keep Steward’s Massachusetts hospitals "open and viable."

The senators' concerns come amid worries that buyers won't come forward, leaving residents who rely on the hospitals and the people who work at them in limbo. Last month, Steward pushed back its bid deadline for Steward's nine Massachusetts hospitals to July 15, according to court documents filed by the Boston-born but now Dallas-based company.

“The ability of these hospitals to emerge from bankruptcy under new ownership with stable finances will represent a significant public health victory for these communities, allowing their dedicated workers to continue to provide needed health care services."

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