UMass psychiatric bed reduction plan worries councilor

UMass Memorial Health Care has notified the state of plans to reduce the number of beds in its 28-bed inpatient acute psychiatric unit on the university campus in Worcester to make way for additional medical-surgical beds.

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Worcester City Councilor Sarai Rivera wants to know potential effects of a plan by UMass Memorial Medical Center to close 13 of its 28 inpatient psychiatric beds at its university campus.

Rivera plans to ask the city administration at the March 7 council meeting for a report detailing what effect the closure of those beds would have on health care in the city.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents nurses at UMass Memorial Medical Center, announced Rivera's planned motion. The association said that a group of nurses and advocates plan to hold a rally outside City Hall before the council meeting.

The state Department of Public Health is scheduled to hold a hearing in Worcester on March 30 on UMass' proposed bed closure.

UMass Memorial Health Care has notified the state of plans to reduce the number of beds in its 28-bed inpatient acute psychiatric unit on the university campus in Worcester to make way for additional medical-surgical beds in the hospital's 8 East unit. If approved, construction would begin in July, but no changes will take place until then. The project would last about a year, the hospital said.

Hospital spokesman Anthony Berry said earlier this year that additional medical-surgical beds are needed to serve the growing needs of the community. A certain number of psychiatric beds will be maintained for patients with the most complex behavioral health needs, he said.