UMass Memorial plans new emergency department in central Massachusetts after Steward-owned hospital closed
AYER - UMass Memorial Health said Wednesday it will build a standalone emergency department in central Massachusetts in the wake of Nashoba Valley Medical Center's closure. The Ayer hospital closed last summer as a result of the Steward Health Care crisis.
UMass, the largest health care provider in the region, isn't saying yet where the new facility will be. A spokesperson for UMass said their first option was the hospital site in Ayer "but it did not work out, so we are now focused on other location options."
New emergency department for Nashoba Valley
The emergency department will also offer certain imaging services, UMass said.
"We believe this solution can fill the community's critical needs and address their primary areas of concern," UMass said in a statement.
Nashoba Valley struggling without ER
First responders in the Nashoba Valley area said in January they're on the verge of collapse after the hospital closed, and ambulance rides have increased from 2.4 miles to as much as 16 miles. Residents said they're concerned about the area becoming a "public health care desert."
Gov. Maura Healey put together a working group to address the problems created by the closure.
"I have understood from the beginning that Steward Health Care's closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center created a significant strain on the communities that had relied on this hospital for their health care needs, particularly emergency services," Healey said in a statement to the State House News Service. "We're grateful to UMass Memorial Health for stepping up to ensure continued health care access in Central Massachusetts."
