SEARCH

UMass Memorial Health told staff on Wednesday it is converting the West 1 unit at the UMass Memorial Medical Center - Memorial Campus in Worcester to an all-COVID unit, after the number of admitted patients quadrupled over the course of a week, according to a staff memo circulated on Wednesday.

Dr. Robert Finberg, of UMass Medical School, answers questions on the booster timeline and vaccines and precautions as students head to campus.

UMass Memorial Health — HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital recently invested $717,000 to fund community-based initiatives aimed at tackling the urgent health challenges of food insecurity, substance abuse and workforce development, according to a press release from the hospital.

To date, the hospital has committed more than $820,000 in resources, including emergency COVID-19 response funding, according to the hospital.

What hasn’t Eric W. Dickson done in the past year to show his influence as the leader of the largest employer in Central Mass., with 14,000 workers?

Early during the coronavirus pandemic, he pledged no layoffs or furloughs despite the financial hit to UMass Memorial. He gave $500 bonuses to caregivers, was on the forefront of local business leaders in touting the importance of diversity, equity & inclusion, donated his salary during the initial peak for employee assistance, and enrolled in an early COVID-19 vaccine study to prove his confidence in the science.

UMass Memorial Health, the largest healthcare provider in Central Massachusetts, on Friday confirmed it is starting its own health insurance division.

The insurance company -- called Central Mass Health LLC -- will be organized under the UMass Memorial Health Ventures umbrella, which is for all the non-hospital aspects of the UMass Memorial system.

UMass Memorial Health Care President and CEO Dr. Eric Dickson has been named the new chair of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, the Boston hospital advocacy nonprofit announced Friday.

Steve Roach, the interim president of UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, which has its main offices in Leominster, has been named to the position on a permanent basis.

Roach's appointment, which was announced Monday in a staff memo by Doug Brown, the president of UMass Memorial Community Hospitals, also keeps him as president of UMass Memorial's Marlborough Hospital, a position he's held since 2013.