Marlborough Hospital announces plans for expansion

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Marlborough Hospital leaders recently discussed plans to expand its Emergency Department. (Photo/Dakota Antelman)

Marlborough Hospital leaders recently discussed plans to expand its Emergency Department. (Photo/Dakota Antelman)

MARLBOROUGH – Changes may be on the horizon at Marlborough Hospital on Union Street.

During a community forum at the hospital on Tuesday, Jan. 21, interim President Charles E. Cavagnaro unveiled some of the upgrades planned once regulatory approval is received from the Department of Health and other state agencies.

The hospital, which is currently part of UMass Memorial Health, plans to spend $36 million to expand its Emergency Department. Cavagnaro said the expansion will help alleviate overcrowding and reduce patient wait times.

According to Ellen Carlucci, the hospital’s vice president of development, marketing and communications, the hospital had about 30,000 patient visits over the past year.

When asked whether the rise in the number of urgent care and walk-in clinics has affected the number of emergency room visits, Cavagnaro said, “None of that has affected the number of people coming.”

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Plans are also in the works for a $6 million multidisciplinary clinic, where experts from different specialties can treat patients with chronic conditions such as pain management.

In addition, the hospital plans to purchase a Spectral Computer Tomography (CT) system to better examine tumors, fractures and more; and acquire a proton beam machine to target radiation onto tumors.

“There’s lots of good things happening” at the hospital, said Cavagnaro.

Down the road, the hospital wants to refurbish and modernize the inpatient rooms.

“The physical plant is getting a bit old,” said Cavagnaro.

The upgrades — including the Endoscopy Center, which opened this month — will make it easier for area residents to access services at Marlborough Hospital.

“Community hospitals — there are not that many left in Massachusetts,” said Cavagnaro. “It’s difficult for small hospitals to compete.”

He cited the shortage of doctors and other clinical staff as one of the reasons for community hospitals closing.

“It’s harder to attract specialists,” nurses and other personnel, he said.

According to attorney Brian Falk, the plans are being developed and could come before the City Council and other boards sometime this year.

Merger

There was also an announcement about the hospital’s merger with UMass Memorial Medical Center.

“Pending regulatory approval, Marlborough Hospital will be merged into UMass Memorial Medical Center, and the Marlborough campus operated as a campus under the medical center license,” said Shelly Hazlett, media and public relations director for UMass Memorial Health. “It is our hope that this merger will help further stabilize and strengthen health care across our region.”

According to Hazlett, including Marlborough on the license would promote enhanced care coordination between the medical center and the Marlborough campus. This would result in optimized operating room and inpatient bed utilization at Marlborough, and there would be improved access for patients and caregivers to cutting-edge technologies, medical specialists and services available through the medical center.

She said the merger would also bring the medical center’s programs to Marlborough, such as the hospital at home program.

“By keeping more care local in the Central Massachusetts region, we can help patients avoid the inconvenience and higher costs involved in receiving care in Boston,” said Hazlett.

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