Greater Worcester

Two Worcester colleges are collaborating on a program that would allow students who achieve registered-nurse certification to go on to earn a bachelor of science in nursing.

UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester is receiving more than $600,000 in state funds, part of a $12 million push to enhance MassHealth payment rates and improve the quality of service in behavioral health.

The College of the Holy Cross will build a new $22 million facility on a 52-acre site in West Boylston that will boost its retreat programs, the Worcester school announced.

Imperial Distributors, of Worcester and Auburn, is this year's Richard B. Kennedy Business of the Year. It is one of several awards announced Wednesday by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, along with presenting sponsor Fidelity Bank.

A medical device manufacturer in Worcester that had been developing a non-invasive glucometer for diabetes patients has filed for bankruptcy.

The White City Shopping Center in Shrewsbury has been sold to an Illinois real estate company for $97 million.

Medical companies swept The Venture Forum's Five-Minute Pitch Contest Tuesday night, with the producer of a “smart pancreas” taking home $3,500 in prizes.

The use of paper charts in the doctor's office is by now a quaint practice reserved mostly for small providers, as health care practices have migrated to more efficient electronic health records systems.

The Charitable Foundation of Bay State Savings Bank has awarded $16,000 in grants to nine local nonprofit organizations.

Standard & Poor's Ratings Services has upgraded from “stable” to “positive” its outlook for the College of the Holy Cross, citing surpluses and strong financial resources.