Heywood Healthcare seeks to join UMass Memorial Health
New England Council member, UMass Memorial Health, has signed a letter of intent to investigate affiliation options with Heywood Healthcare and their facilities in North Central Massachusetts. Heywood Healthcare, one of the last independent community healthcare systems in Central Massachusetts, is seeking to become part of the UMass network with facilities in Worcester, Marlborough, Leominster, Clinton, and Southbridge.
The proposed affiliation, which has been approved by both sides’ board of trustees, looks to bolster the available healthcare services in the region, with Heywood gaining increased access to capital resources for investing in technology, improved facilities, and medical equipment. Heywood has two main hospitals in its system: Heywood Hospital in Gardner with 134 beds and Athol Hospital with 25 beds, and they operate Heywood Medical Group, the 86-bed Quabbin Retreat for mental health and substance abuse recovery in Petersham, and eight other satellite facilities across the region. The proposed affiliation is expected to take up to one year to complete, following a regulatory review and approval process.
“We look forward to working with Heywood Healthcare through the due diligence process, to include a clear understanding of the health and economic landscape of the north central and north Quabbin communities,” said Doug Brown, UMass Memorial Health’s president of community hospitals. “We anticipate that, among other things, such an agreement will include a commitment to preserving local services and a significant investment outside the hospital walls in the Heywood community.”
The New England Council would like to commend UMass Memorial Health on its upcoming exploration to affiliate with another healthcare system, Heywood Healthcare.
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