Processing Your Payment

Please do not leave this page until complete. This can take a few moments.

July 14, 2020 Leadership In A Time of Crisis

UMass Memorial Health Care

Dear Members of the Community:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the whole world looked to those of us who work in health care for guidance, reassurance and direction. Regardless of our individual roles, it was our duty to step up and be leaders for the communities we serve. As President and CEO of the largest academic health system in Central Massachusetts, I am enormously proud of the 14,000 caregivers who work across the UMass Memorial Health Care system for their deep devotion to our patients and to each other, working tirelessly under extraordinary circumstances during this unprecedented time.

It was inspiring to see teams of our people who had never worked together before COVID-19, come together to tackle issues that seemed insurmountable.

Ingenuity was the name of the game as our caregivers moved quickly to respond to this crisis, rapidly solving problems and putting contingency plans in place to care for the sickest and most vulnerable in our region. We all had the same unifying goal – to save as many lives as possible.

It also was heartwarming to witness the outpouring of community support for our caregivers. From the 1.2 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) that was donated, to the thousands of food and beverage items given to fuel our teams, to the sincere notes of gratitude and encouragement that were shared – all are and continue to be deeply appreciated.

Now as we move from crisis mode to our recovery phase, I want to reassure our patients and the communities we serve that it is safe to come to any of our locations to seek treatment and care. Our promise to you is this – as we always have, we will provide exceptional, compassionate, patient centered care in a SAFE environment. There is no safer place to be now than in a health care setting because of our enhanced infection control protocols and our hyper-vigilance to keep our patients and our caregivers safe. If you have any questions about your care or wish to schedule care, please visit our website to learn more about our safety measures, call 855-UMASS-MD or call your provider’s office.

In my 30 years in medicine, I have never seen anything like this scourge called COVID-19, and I hope to never see anything like it again. One thing is clear as we come out of this crisis – the world’s perception of the health care community will be forever changed. I’ve never been prouder to be a physician than in this moment. And I’m humbled to be the leader of the 14,000 dedicated, compassionate caregivers who work at UMass Memorial Health Care.

Sincerely,
Eric W. Dickson, MD, MHCM, FACEP
President & CEO, UMass Memorial Health Care
Professor, Emergency Medicine, UMass Memorial Medical School

UMass Memorial Health Care

umassmemorialhealthcare.org

855-UMASS-MD