UMass Memorial to buy Groton property for new Nashoba Valley emergency facility
photo | WBJ FILE
UMass Memorial Health workers
After UMass Memorial Health previously announced it would open an emergency department in the Nashoba Valley region in the wake of Nashoba Valley Medical Center’s closure, the Worcester-based system is taking next steps to acquire a Groton site to open a satellite emergency facility.
The new emergency facility will be located at 490 Main St. in Groton, according to a statement from UMass Memorial.
“This location was chosen after careful consideration of the region’s most immediate concerns, including EMS transport times and availability of health care services, and in close collaboration with local fire/EMS chiefs, the Nashoba Valley Health Planning Working Group and other community stakeholders,” UMass Memorial said in an email to WBJ.
UMass Memorial said it has executed a purchase-and-sale agreement for the property, though purchase had not yet been registered with the Middlesex South Registry of Deeds as of Thursday morning. Often, sale-and-purchase agreements tend to be contingent on regulatory approval, so UMass Memorial may be waiting for approval of the emergency facility before finalizing the property purchase.
The property at 490 Main St. in Groton includes 9.3 acres and was given a tax assessment value of $304,800, according to Town of Groton property records. The property is owned by 500 MG LLC of Westford, which purchased it for $2.9 million in 2021. That corporation is managed by John Amaral and George Robb, partners at the Westford real estate firm Omni Properties.
The emergency facility is part of UMass Memorial’s attempt to meet the healthcare needs of those in Nashoba Valley following the shuttering of Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer on Aug. 31. The closure, due to bankruptcy proceedings for its parent company Texas-based Steward Health Care, has left the region without its central hospital.
Local healthcare and government leaders have been expressing grave concerns for the health of the area’s residents since the July notice of the hospital’s impending closure. In response, the Gov. Maura Healey Administration assembled a 32-person working group to address the health care needs of the region left without its most-central hospital.
The Groton emergency facility will offer the same caliber of emergency services as a traditional emergency department in an acute care hospital, according to UMass Memorial’s statement. This includes imaging, lab services, and observation beds in addition to providing surgical and other emergency consultative services accessible through UMass Memorial Medical Group.
It is too early in the process to have an expected opening timeframe or to know if additional staff will need to be hired, UMass Memorial wrote.
“We are grateful to the Nashoba Valley Health Planning Working Group for their thoughtful recommendations during this time of transition. We are also thankful to the Healey-Driscoll administration for their guidance and support, along with the collaborative spirit of local leaders, legislators, community organizations, local fire/EMS chiefs, and other health care providers as we collectively work to rebuild care in the Nashoba region,” wrote UMass Memorial.
Mica Kanner-Mascolo is a staff writer at Worcester Business Journal, who primarily covers the healthcare and diversity, equity, and inclusion industries.
WBJ Managing Editor Eric Casey contributed to this story.
0 Comments