Steward completes deal for MA hospitals

Steward Health Care System, the Boston holding company formed last year by the private equity firm that bought Caritas Christi Health Care, said Monday that it has completed its $21 million acquisition of two for-profit community hospitals: Merrimack Valley Hospital in Haverhill and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer. The deals bring to eight the number of Eastern Massachusetts hospitals in the Steward chain. In addition to the two just acquired, it owns the six Catholic hospitals in the Caritas Christi group, including St. Elizabeth's Medical Center and Carney Hospital in Boston.