Artificial intelligence may be considered an unfamiliar or impersonal presence in daily life, but UMass Memorial Health is using the power of AI to put a friendly face in its pediatric care unit. 

Robin the Robot is an AI-based companion designed to ease anxiety and loneliness among children in hospitals and clinics, and it's making a difference one interaction at a time. 

The town’s schools were approved for a $50,000 support program from UMass Memorial Health.

Superintendent Steven Meyers said at the Oct. 17 School Committee meeting that the award, through HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, continued a prior award.

A Worcester man reunited Monday with the caregivers at UMass Memorial Medical Center who saved his life.

Two weeks ago, Irineo Benitez's wife called the hospital's patient access center to schedule an appointment. During the call, the scheduler realized the call was more serious as she learned that Benitez was experiencing chest pain. The call was transferred to a nurse who said he needed an ambulance immediately.

 It's approximately 4 feet tall, has expressive eyes and a childlike voice that will melt your heart. 

Its name is Robin, and it's the newest caregiver in pediatrics at UMass Memorial Medical Center - University Campus. 

Actually, Robin’s full name is Robin the Robot, and it's the only one of its kind currently working in Massachusetts and on the East Coast.  

Weight bias in medical care settings, which involves health care professionals stigmatizing and judging patients with the disease of obesity, is widespread. Obesity as a disease state leads to dangerous consequences for more than 40% of U.S. adults and 20% of U.S. children and adolescents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)[1].

Worcester, Mass – UMass Memorial Medical Center has a new mobile vehicle on the road to support addiction services in the Worcester homeless community. Made possible through the kindness of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and his family, the Kraft Community Care in Reach® mobile unit is equipped and staffed to bring substance use disorder (SUD) and other health care services to those who need them, where they need them.

To:     All UMass Memorial Health Caregivers
From:  Eric Dickson, MD, President and CEO, UMass Memorial Health
Tiffany Moore Simas, MD, MPH, MEd, Chair, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Date:  June 27, 2022
Re:     Reaffirming Our Commitment to Reproductive Health

Many of us are still in shock about the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade on Friday of last week. We want to take this moment to repeat and reaffirm UMass Memorial Health’s commitment to reproductive health for all people regardless of their circumstances. 

There is widespread concern about what the pandemic is doing to the mental health of adolescents. In Worcester, a new school-based program aims to address the issue. UMass Memorial Health’s Community Healthlink C.A.R.E.S. Club (Create. Achieve. Respect. Elevate. Succeed) expanded to Worcester East Middle school. Community Healthlink will mentor students and provide counseling, along with academic help.

Dr. Eric Dickson, chief executive of UMass Memorial Health Care, said these factors make the timing of the latest COVID wave particularly tough. “As we started to see this uptick, we were really overwhelmed trying to catch up with a lot of work that had been put off for the last two years [and] dealing with staffing challenges,” he said. “We were starting from a position of weakness in health care, and then you're laying this on top of it.”