“We believe this solution can fill the community’s critical needs and address their primary areas of concern,” the hospital group said in a statement.
UMass Memorial Health said it plans to build and operate the emergency department, which is also expected to offer certain imaging services.
Four months after Steward Health Care shuttered its hospital in the Nashoba Valley area as part of its bankruptcy process, healthcare officials are considering opening a new, stand-alone emergency room in the region, officials said Wednesday.
The region has been without a dedicated healthcare facility since Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer closed last year.
The proposal is still in its early stages, officials said.
“While there is significant work to be done before this plan becomes a reality, we remain committed to supporting and protecting the health care needs of residents throughout Central Massachusetts,” UMass Memorial Health said.
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It’s not clear whether UMass Memorial Health would occupy the empty Nashoba Valley hospital or choose to construct a new facility elsewhere. UMass Memorial Health, one of the largest health systems in the state, operates several hospitals west of Boston.
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In August, Steward closed Nashoba and Carney Hospital in Dorchester, the only hospitals in Massachusetts that did not receive qualified bids during a sale process.
The closures elicited fierce opposition from community members, especially because Steward gave less than two months notice, rather than the 120-day notice typically required under state law.
For residents of Ayer and the surrounding communities, the loss of Nashoba Valley has caused the average travel time for emergency care to more than double. The two nearest hospitals, UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital in Leominster and Emerson Hospital in Concord, are both roughly a half-hour drive away, without accounting for traffic or the time it takes for an ambulance to respond.
By comparison, ambulance trips to Nashoba usually took less than 10 minutes, officials have said.
The closure has also strained ambulance services and emergency rooms in the area, with officials saying they are not equipped to deal with the higher demand.
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Material from previous Globe coverage was used.
Camilo Fonseca can be reached at camilo.fonseca@globe.com. Follow him on X @fonseca_esq and on Instagram @camilo_fonseca.reports.
Proposed Nashoba Valley emergency room would replace shuttered Steward hospital
