UMass Memorial receives conditional OK to close 13 psychiatric beds

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health conditionally approved Worcester-based UMass Memorial Medical Center's proposal to close half of its psychiatric beds, according to a telegram.com report.

The closure is part of the hospital's $30 million renovation project to improve its medical and surgical capacity. UMass Memorial declared plans to shutter 13 of its 27 psychiatric beds in January, according to the report. Several organizations scrutinized the plan, including the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents nurses at the hospital, and mental health advocates.

In a letter to the hospital May 8, the DPH said UMass Memorial's plan "[did] not adequately meet the needs of the patients in the community" and asked the hospital to delay the closure. The hospital modified its plan last month and submitted it to state officials for review. The Public Health Council of the DPH granted its conditional approval of the plan Wednesday.

To move forward with its plan, UMass Memorial must prioritize patients who do not possess commercial insurance accepted at any of the approved alternative treatment sites. The hospital must also provide six months of free transportation to the alternative sites and submit quarterly reports addressing the number of patients held in the emergency room while waiting for an inpatient admission bed, the report states.

Officials said the timeframe for the closure remains undetermined.

David Schildmeier, director of public communications for the Massachusetts Nurses Association, said the DPH's ruling "is not a solution" to the issue.

"At this point we're very disappointed in the decision … It's just going to result in patients boarding in the emergency departments for hours, days and weeks on end … there is nothing in the hospital's alternative plan that justifies this decision," he said.

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