METHUEN — Strolling into the cardiac unit at Holy Family Hospital, the top executive of Holy Family's new owner, Lawrence General Hospital, stood erect and listened intently as nurses in scrubs ran through their wish lists: more staff, more supplies, fresh paint — "a little lipstick," in the words of one nurse — to brighten up the floor. Dr. Abha Agrawal assured the overburdened staff that she'd begun hiring and restocking supply cabinets in the post-Steward Health Care era. She said she'd directed her maintenance staff to replace damaged shades in the windows of rooms so patients can sleep, a complaint she'd heard on a previous visit to her expanded domain. She also had a question for the nurses, and a lesson to impart. She asked them who their boss was — and promptly answered her own question. "The patient is the boss," she said. "I say that everywhere I go."
