The announcement came when the Worcester-based hospital system hosted a topping off ceremony on Wednesday.
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As construction workers screwed in the last foundational beam of what will become UMass Memorial Health’s satellite emergency department in Groton, the healthcare system announced the facility is set to accept its first patient come March 2027.
The announcement came when the Worcester-based hospital system hosted a topping off ceremony on Wednesday, celebrating the first structural milestone of the 18,500-square-foot emergency department UMass Memorial is building to help fill the care gap left by the 2024 closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer.
Located at 490 Main St., the facility will be known as UMass Memorial Medical Center at Nashola Valley, Justin Precourt, president of UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, said at a Wednesday press conference. The site will feature 16 treatment rooms, including those for trauma and behavioral health; imaging services; and a Life Flight helipad to transport patients to facilities throughout the region.
“The genesis for this project really came from the closure of Nashoba Valley Regional Medical Center a short time ago, and really understanding the void and the need for services in this region,” Precourt said at the event.
Nashoba Valley Medical Center closed its doors in August 2024 as part of the bankruptcy proceedings of its parent company, Texas-based Steward Health Care, leaving the region without its sole hospital and emergency department. That same month, UMass Memorial said it was preliminarily considering opening an ED in the Nashoba Valley region, officially announcing its intentions in January 2025.
The system officially broke ground on UMMC at Nashoba Valley in September.
Instead of having to travel to hospitals up to 20 miles away, to the likes of Emerson Hospital in Concord or Lowell General Hospital, Nashoba Valley residents will be able to access care in their own neighborhood, Precourt said to WBJ.
“This is right here in their backyard in the community; staffed with UMass Memorial physicians and nurses, all of which will have emergency department experience, and really just provide full service support,” Precourt said.
The emergency department will be staffed 24/7 with one physician, a few advanced practice providers, 30 nurses, and 15 support staff.
Opening UMMC at Nashoba Valley will also provide relief to the area’s emergency response teams, shortening 35 to 40 minute ambulance drives to five to 10 minutes, Precourt said.
“That level of support will be significant,” he said.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare, manufacturing, and higher education industries.
