Congressman Stephen F. Lynch said Monday he is closely monitoring the latest news about Steward Health Care, owner of Dorchester’s Carney Hospital, after the corporation filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections in Texas today.

Lynch shared his concerns with the Reporter at an unrelated press conference in South Boston.

“I have four of the Steward Health Care hospitals in my district,” said Lynch, who represents the 8th district of Massachusetts. “I'm especially concerned about Norwood Hospital, which is under construction and not quite finished yet. There are also five other hospitals across the state that they own. It's a huge number of beds within the state so that would affect all those communities as well.”

When asked about the Carney in particular Lynch explained that “all of these hospitals are in the same boat, unfortunately.”

While the filing of bankruptcy brings much uncertainty, Lynch explained that within 120 days Steward must establish a reorganization and refinancing plan.

“Once you claim that bankruptcy, it sort of gives you some breathing space to try to figure things out,” Lynch told the Reporter. “At the end of the day, though, I'm not so sure there are enough assets there to satisfy all of the creditors, that's problematic.”

He added: “We'll have to wait and see the plan that Steward has to get themselves out of bankruptcy. It's not an easy task.”

Under Chapter 11, Steward has become a “debtor in possession” and will continue to operate 31 hospitals spread around the country. While these facilities will remain open, Lynch worries that the inability to pay rent and lenders will decrease the quality of care the hospitals can provide. Specifically, if vendors are not paid, they may stop delivering materials and equipment that the facilities need. Lynch described this possibility as “a matter of life and death.”

“When there's a bankruptcy of this type, it's a slow process. The health benefits of employees and the pension benefits of employees are sometimes not addressed as quickly as some of the other debts that are owed by the bankrupt entity.”

Instead, Lynch said, the secured creditors will be paid first.

“I know the governor’s very concerned about this, and Secretary Walsh has been intimately involved. We've had a number of meetings, but this is obviously a new development,” said Lynch. “We'll have to wait and see how this proceeds. It might give us the ability to force some consolidation and mergers between healthy hospitals and the hospitals currently held by Steward Health Care but it's too early to say.”

“I'm going to have to sit with the folks at Carney soon and with the other hospitals in my district to follow up and see how this actually affects these hospitals.”

In a statement issued Monday afternoon, Senator Elizabeth Warren blamed the Steward meltdown on “private equity vultures looting our health care system.”

“After years of disastrous decisions, CEO Ralph de la Torre should be fired, along with Steward’s entire executive team,” Warren said. “Regulators need to seek all possible means to claw back the riches sucked out of these hospitals. No matter where they try to shift the blame, Steward executives are responsible for this crisis. I will be closely monitoring this bankruptcy process, and I commend Governor Healey, Attorney General Campbell, and Secretary Walsh for their leadership.”