The merger of Marlborough Hospital and UMass Memorial Medical Center (UMMMC) has been approved by public health officials. This merger is expected to deepen the affiliation which already exists and to reduce operating costs and improve patient care.
News of such mergers and their benefits for a community is often made known with flyer printing.
The director of the Determination of Need program at the Department of Public Health, Dennis Renaud, said that the health system of UMass Memorial encompasses an academic medical center, UMMMC, and four community hospitals, including Marlborough Hospital, which has 79 beds. All hospitals in the system are independently licensed, with Marlborough Hospital being the smallest of the facilities.
The merger will eliminate costs related to staffing, governing bodies, and maintaining separate hospital licenses for Marlborough Hospital and enable access to specialty services. Renaud explained that as Marlborough Hospital is a small one it does not have the number of patients that enable it to support a full array of specialty and hospital services that are needed by the community. He said that there are many challenges in hiring the needed specialty and primary care physicians at the hospital.
Representative Danielle Gregoire expressed support for the merger. She said that this will enable people in Marlborough to get their care through the UMass system and not have to travel to other hospitals in the area.
