Heywood Hospital reopening mental health unit after three years

Photo | Christine Peterson Heywood Hospital in Gardner

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By Isabel Tehan

Heywood Hospital in Gardner will reopen its inpatient mental health unit on Jan. 11, after having closed the facility in October 2021.

The unit received approval to reopen a six-bed unit from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, according to a Tuesday press release from the hospital. Heywood eventually plans to add six additional beds at a later date; the unit has a 12-bed capacity.

The unit closed in 2021 due to a lack of qualified staff amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The reopening is a bright spot for the hospital, which is struggling financially, including having filed for bankruptcy and paused construction on a $29-million surgical pavilion.

The reopened unit has been upgraded with a sensory room and enhanced security measures and training for staff.

“Delivery of mental health care services locally is essential to the overall health of our community. Recruitment of licensed mental health clinical staff continues to be the greatest challenge. The mental health unit operates 24/7, requiring the staffing of professionals for all three shifts,” Heywood Hospital co-CEO Rozanna Penney said in the press release.

The hospital is still recruiting for staff for the unit and will offer sign-on bonuses and tuition reimbursement among other benefits.