UMass Memorial Health

Hospital systems are waiting, monitoring, and responding as COVID cases rise, even as they remain far below peak levels.

After adjusting its plans to regulators’ concerns, UMass Memorial Health intends to go forward with its plan to close the inpatient maternity unit at HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital in Leominster.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Friday rejected UMass Memorial Health’s proposed plan on how to provide essential maternity service in North Central Massachusetts following its planned closure of the Leominster maternity ward.

UMass Memorial Medical Center "failed miserably" in its plan to maintain access to maternal care after the proposed closure of a Leominster birthing center, the city's mayor contended Tuesday in a plea for state regulators to take a more forceful approach.

The Community Healthlink substance abuse programs that have been closed since April will need eight to 12 more months to reopen, according to a letter from the Worcester Commissioner of Health and Human Services Dr. Matilde Castiel to City Manager Eric Batista.

In order to preserve access to care for patients as it intends to move forward in closing its maternity ward in Leominster, UMass Memorial Health in Worcester has released its plan, relying on other health centers, public transit, and ambulances.

The saga over the proposed closure of the Leominster maternity center is part of a national struggle beset by doctor shortages, rising maternal morbidity, and money-losing operations.

Worcester-based UMass Memorial Health has awarded $1.2 million in grants to Central Massachusetts nonprofits focused on health outcomes. 

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health has determined UMass Memorial Health’s maternity ward in Leominster is an essential service for the people of North Worcester County, complicating the health system’s plans to close the center.

Worcester’s UMass Memorial Medical Center has been ranked as the fourth best hospital in Massachusetts by the U.S. News and World Report.