UMass Memorial Health to open ER in Nashoba Valley region
Photo I Courtesy of State House News Service
Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer closed on Aug. 31.
The largest nonprofit health care system in Central Massachusetts said Wednesday that it thinks it can help the communities around the closed Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer by opening a new standalone emergency department nearby.
UMass Memorial Health said it has "been listening closely to the concerns of impacted patients and the legislators that represent them" since the former Steward Health Care hospital closed in late August after the bankrupt company was unable to find a suitable buyer. UMass Memorial Health said it understands the challenges that residents and municipalities in the area have been facing.
"As a result, we have made the decision to step in to support the community by building a new standalone Emergency Department in the Nashoba Valley region that also offers certain imaging services. We believe this solution can fill the community’s critical needs and address their primary areas of concern," the system said in a statement. "While there is significant work to be done before this plan becomes a reality, we remain committed to supporting and protecting the health care needs of residents throughout Central Massachusetts."
UMass Memorial Health said Wednesday that it did not have any additional information on its proposal to build and operate an emergency department in the Nashoba Valley area.
"I have understood from the beginning that Steward Health Care’s closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center created a significant strain on the communities that had relied on this hospital for their health care needs, particularly emergency services. My goal in convening the working group was to identify and address critical gaps in health care and find ways to preserve access to high-quality care and services in the region," Gov. Maura Healey said, referring to the Nashoba Valley Working Group she created to consider needs of the region. "We're grateful to UMass Memorial Health for stepping up to ensure continued health care access in Central Massachusetts."
UMass Memorial Health has been mentioned in the Steward saga and fallout, which saw Nashoba Valley and Carney Hospital in Dorchester close while six other hospital facilities changed hands. When Nashoba closed, Healey's office said the Executive Office of Health and Human Services was in discussion with UMass Memorial and other providers around "future care on the Nashoba Valley Medical Center campus."
"UMass Memorial Health is considering alternative possibilities, such as converting the hospital's emergency room into an urgent care facility," Healey's office said at the time.
Rep. John Rogers and Sen. Michael Rush filed legislation last session looking to compel UMass Memorial Health to operate Norwood Hospital, which Steward walked away from as it was under construction during its bankruptcy. But UMass Memorial Health was not involved in the drafting of that bill and said last year that it "has no plans to take over Norwood Hospital."
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