By Arianna MacNeill | Gloucester Times, September 29, 2016

BEVERLY — The opioid crisis not only affects addicts, it also can harm their children.
For expecting women who are suffering from addiction, Beverly Hospital is working on a new program to get them help.
The program recently received a $1 million grant from the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission.
The program was born out of an idea from Nicole Sczekan, a midwife at the hospital. Her daughter struggled with addiction and then became pregnant.
"I was seeing that this was the opportune time to intervene because she was going to her medical appointments and she wanted to do the right thing," Sczekan said in a news release. "I was so frustrated for her that treatment for addiction wasn't incorporated into prenatal care."

By Peter Cohenno | Southcoast Health, September 28. 2016

FALL RIVER, Mass. — Southcoast Health announced today that the Center for Weight Loss at Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River has been accredited as a Comprehensive Bariatric Center under the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), a joint program of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS).
Southcoast Health’s Center for Weight Loss at Tobey Hospital in Wareham is also accredited by the MBSAQIP.

By David McKay | WWLP.com, September 26, 2016

HOLYOKE, Mass. (WWLP) – Holyoke Medical Center held a ceremony Monday to mark the halfway point in the construction of their new emergency room and medical office building.
The $22 million addition will expand the current emergency department to 20,000 square feet; which is more than double its current size. The department will have 40 treatment areas, multi-patient trauma rooms, dedicated space for behavioral health and substance abuse patients, and new advanced lifesaving equipment.

By Andy Metzger | State House News Service  October 5, 2015

BOSTON -- Citing its strong "culture," Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday praised Lowell General Hospital as a model worth studying as policymakers and industry leaders confront a difficult health-care marketplace. 

Speaking at the annual hearings of the state Health Policy Commission, Baker said Lowell General's success might have more to do with its decades-long run of high quality and low cost than other systemic changes. Baker also said he would be "aggressive" about adding transparency to the market. 

Baker said the state should figure out how to better support family caregivers, and highlighted Lowell General as an institution that has had strong quality and kept costs in check since Baker's time in the Weld administration. 

The governor credited "the culture and the approach" of the Lowell hospital more than the various payment models, and he said its success is worth studying. 

"I've always been a big believer that if you find somebody who's doing something well, the best thing you can do is figure out what it is they're doing and then celebrating it," Baker said.

By Emily Micucci | Worcester Business Journal   October 1, 2015

This morning, Milford Regional Medical Center officials and invited guests are gathering at the community hospital on Prospect Street to celebrate the end of a $54 million expansion project that adds space and technology in the emergency department and intensive care unit, as well as patient rooms.

A speaking program will begin at 10:15 today, followed by a tour.

At a time when small hospitals are struggling to keep profits steady (and in some cases, just to stay in the black), Milford Regional's new wing is a sign that the independent community hospital is thriving. Serving residents of the MetroWest and the Blackstone Valley regions, Milford Regional has avoided linking up with a large system by avoiding fads and sticking to "basic, community care," according to Milford Regional president Edward Kelly.

Milford Daily News   September 30, 2015

MILFORD — The 26th annual Milford Regional Golf Classic raised $257,000 to benefit Milford Regional Medical Center’s historic new building project.

The event was held Aug. 24 at the Franklin Country Club, with 184 golfers participating.

The new building expansion, a $54 million project, is the hospital’s largest expansion ever, and will have a state-of-the-art emergency department and intensive care unit, and allow for private patient rooms throughout the medical center.
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The Golf Classic is sponsored by more than 30 local businesses and organizations with major sponsors including Oliva’s Market, Catering & Gourmet Gifts; Waters Corp.; Christine’s Pallets; and Milton CAT.

By Bernie Monegain | Healthcare IT News  September 25, 2015

Lowell General Hospital, a community hospital near Boston, and ClinicalBox, are poised to go full blast into care coordination.

The team is one of six winners of a nationwide Innovation Challenge, sponsored by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology.

"Time is of the essence," Cece Lynch, Lowell General Hospital's chief nurse executive and vice president of patient care services, said in press statement. "Our nurses work day in and day out to deliver excellent care for our patients. Our goal with this innovation collaboration is to make their important work with patients easier and even more impactful."

Leominster Champion   September 25, 2015

Recently, two Emergency Call Boxes were installed on the UMass Memorial-HealthAlliance Hospital Leominster Campus as part of the Federal Emergency Management Grant and a partnership with the Leominster Police Department.

The new call boxes are solar-powered emergency towers that are environmentally friendly and self-sustaining and utilize green technology. When the button on the call box is pressed, a short automated message states that there is an emergency and which parking lot you are located in, and the call then goes directly to the Leominster Police Department via 911.

Where's the story?1 Points MentionedEmergency Call Boxes are located in the front of the hospital, in the lower parking lot, and in the back of the hospital, in the rear parking lot.

“The great partnership the hospital has with the chief of police and the Leominster Police Department has been advantageous in developing new programs, installing new technology and planning emergency management drills,” stated UMass Memorial- HealthAlliance Hospital Director of Public Safety and Emergency Management Scott Martin.

As always, the safety of HealthAlliance’s patients, community and staff is a top priority, and the goal is to install more call boxes on the Leominster Campus, as well as on the Burbank Campus in Fitchburg in the near future.

For more information, call Martin at (978) 466-2500.