UMass Memorial Medical Center seeks to cut psych ward in half

UMass Memorial Medical Center's proposal to cut 13 psychiatric beds next year was met with scrutiny from mental health advocates and nurses working at the hospital, reports MassLive.

Here are four things to know.

1. The Worcester, Mass.-based hospital wants to close 13 of its 28 psychiatric beds and convert them into surgical beds, according to the report. UMass seeks to cut costs by closing the beds, since its Massachusetts hospitals in Devens and Westboro are already preparing to expand bed capacity for psychiatric patients, according to the report.

2. The Massachusetts Nurses Association — which represents nurses at UMass — is a vocal opponent of the proposal.

"We believe this is a shortsighted and dangerous proposal that is in direct violation of the UMass mission to provide comprehensive care to all members of the Greater Worcester community," said Lisa Goss, a psychiatric nurse who has worked in the psychiatric wing for more than 12 years. "These are patients in crisis with multiple diagnoses who need immediate inpatient services who will now be forced to travel long distances for care, receive inadequate care or go without treatment altogether."

3. Nurses in the psychiatric wing say the ward is almost always full, and many staff members are already overburdened from taking in too many patients, according to the MNA.

4. A public hearing for the proposal is set for March 30. Worcester City Councilor Sarai Rivera is proposing an order that would require City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. to create a report on how the psychiatric bed closings could affect the city's healthcare services., reports MassLive.

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