Saint Vincent Hospital

UMass Memorial Health Care is planning to close the COVID field hospital at the DCU Center in mid-March as patient counts dwindle at the facility.

Saint Vincent Hospital is preparing for a potential nurses strike but won't let the prospect of having to call in staffing help keep it from covering shifts at a COVID-19 vaccination site at Worcester State University.

Three Central Massachusetts hospitals are part of a new state initiative announced Wednesday targeting COVID-19 vaccine distribution in communities hardest hit by the pandemic.

Unionized nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital have moved a step closer to walking off the job, giving the Worcester hospital a required 10-day notice of an intent to strike starting March 8.

Saint Vincent Hospital's 800 registered nurses have voted to strike, alleging conditions at the Worcester hospital have jeopardized the safety of their patients.

Four hospitals in Central Massachusetts received an A for safety in twice-a-year reviews by a national group on Monday.

UMass Memorial Health Care expects to receive 1,950 doses of a coronavirus vaccine on Tuesday, with priority given first to frontline caregivers.

The leaders of UMass Memorial Health Care and Saint Vincent Hospital said Tuesday they expect to be able to begin to provide coronavirus vaccines to their healthcare workers next week.

Medical professionals – especially those who work in an intensive care unit or emergency room – are used to seeing heartbreaking cases of disease, tragic accidents or violence. Virtually nothing, though, has been like the coronavirus pandemic.

Central Massachusetts hospitals generally struggled to reach a break-even point financially despite millions of dollars in federal aid meant to help during the coronavirus pandemic.