Eric Dickson

Steve Roach, the president and CEO of two UMass Memorial Health hospitals in Marlborough and Leominster, departed from the Worcester-based healthcare system in June.

UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester fell one spot down in 2023 in the U.S. News and World Report’s list of best hospitals in Massachusetts but still stayed among the top five in the state.

After months of discussions, UMass Memorial Health in Worcester and Milford Regional Medical Center have signed a definitive agreement for corporate affiliation, allowing the struggling MetroWest hospital to receive support from Central Massachusetts’ largest healthcare system. 

The fiercely independent Milford hospital long resisted efforts to join with another hospital system, but a $15-million operating loss in fiscal 2023 helped force the board of trustees' hand.

Health care in Massachusetts is facing multipronged challenges, with no silver bullet solution.

“I’ve never been as worried about health care as I am right now."

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.

As the public health emergency declaration in Massachusetts is set to end on May 11, UMass Memorial Health in Worcester is poised to update its masking policy, which will make masking optional in most settings throughout the healthcare system.

Months after Heywood Healthcare, one of the few Central Massachusetts independent community healthcare systems, entered formal non-binding discussions to affiliate with UMass Memorial Health of Worcester, the merger has been called off.

The Power 50 may not necessarily hold the most power in the region, but they are the people who most effectively wielded their power to have an outsized influence on the economy and the community within the last year.