UMass Memorial is in the process of rolling out thousands of doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine after receiving its first shipments earlier this week. The first vaccinations took place on Wednesday, with thousands of frontline workers in line to get it. Dr. Eric Dickson, CEO of UMass Memorial Health Care, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to talk more on the first week of the vaccine rollout.

Health Evolution: What were your thoughts watching the events of Wednesday January 6th unfold?

Worcester, Mass, - UMass Memorial Health Care, the largest system of care in Central Massachusetts and a member of America’s Essential Hospitals, is hosting its first-ever (virtual) Health Equity Open Forum tomorrow.

SOUTHBRIDGE, MA (SEPTEMBER 23, 2020) – The Members of Harrington HealthCare System and the Board of Trustees of UMass Memorial Health Care announced today that both entities have reached agreement on definitive terms for a corporate affiliation.  Harrington HealthCare announced in January 2020 that it was pursuing a corporate affiliation by UMass Memorial.  

For intensive care nurse Elizabeth Phelan, and others at UMass Memorial Health Care, its one day at a time right now.

“We keep telling ourselves this is not how it’s going to be forever, this will all end eventually, and we will get back to normal eventually, we just have to take it day by day,” said Phelan.

In response to the fighting spirit of health care employees like Phelan, more than 30 cities and towns joined forces to help with the tough days in a massive show of support.

Key Takeaway:
*More CEOs are speaking out on social and political issues, potentially driving a wedge between their organization and divided consumers.
*CEOs, such as Michael Apkon of Tufts Medical Center and Eric Dickson of Umass Memorial Healthcare, aren’t afraid to speak out about the woes of the American health system—even in an election year.
*Veteran health care executive John Figueroa doesn’t think CEOs should speak out on matters that do not pertain to their business.

WORCESTER, Mass. – CommunityHELP (Health and Everyday Living Programs), an online resource that links individuals and families with government and charitable social service programs, now has more than 1,000 participating programs with claimed listings in its comprehensive database. This milestone is not the only accomplishment within the program’s reach. Next month CommunityHELP will have supported more than 20,000 searches by community members in need in just under 1-year.

Suzor has sheltered more than a dozen children. She’s among a legion of foster parents who toil in obscurity, opening their hearts and homes to some of the state’s most vulnerable kids.

“They are just so little, so injured, and you really want to wrap them in your arms and keep them all safe,” Suzor said.

But instead of doing everything possible to assist foster parents like Suzor, the state has done little to lighten their load, and in many ways has made the work even tougher.

Some 2,000 families have stopped accepting foster children in the past five years — almost as many as the total number of foster families currently in the system. The departures have further strained the longstanding gap between available foster homes and the thousands of abused and neglected kids who need a safe haven.

When Marie retired more than two decades ago, she decided to spend her days volunteering. But then she got sick and wasn't able to continue, which was frustrating.