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‘Avenue of Hope’: New Treatment Being Tested in Worcester Shows Promise for Postpartum Depression
For some women, postpartum depression can cast a long shadow over what they thought would be the happiest time of their life. “I should be happy, why am I not happy?”, said Shalea Niles of Dorchester as she described how she felt after the birth of her third child. “It...
Mass. Health Officials: Passenger on Boston-Bound JetBlue Flight Had Measles, Prompts Health Alert
Here’s How To Fix Primary Care for the Highest-Need Patients
Massachusetts health care, often praised for its excellence, is experiencing systemic strain. Our primary care infrastructure is falling woefully short, with many people unable to access a provider.
UMass Memorial Health Names Tim Foley as Vice President of Government Relations
Worcester, MA – UMass Memorial Health (UMMH), the largest not-for-profit health care system in Central Massachusetts, today announced that Tim Foley will be joining the system as Vice President of Government Relations starting April 28. Foley has served as Executive Vice President and Massachusetts...
UMass Memorial Health couple preparing for the 129th Boston Marathon
Lauren Murphy is preparing to run the Boston Marathon and she’s got her husband Brian Rettger by her side.
“This is my third marathon in six months," Murphy said. "But Brian is actually the one who got me into running during COVID.”
Care delivery changes reshaping hospital landscape
The splintering of Steward Health Care last year resulted in the transfer of six hospital campuses, the closure of two others, and a reshaping of the state's health care world. That might be just the start of a rethinking of the role hospitals can play in Massachusetts, Health and Human Services...
I grew up working in hospitals. I love hospitals. I hate to see them close. The sad fact is, across our country, there are 1,300 critical access hospitals -- there's one in Massachusetts, in Athol -- and a third of those hospitals were projected to close.
Kate Walsh | Health and Human Services Secretary
CHAI embarks on post-deployment monitoring for AI as FDA oversight lags
In the absence of a federal framework to monitor the impact of artificial intelligence in the clinic, the Coalition for Health AI (CHAI) is stepping in on post-deployment oversight.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) lacks the capability to assess how models are performing in the real world after...
Ticking Clock for Home Care
Hospital at home programs have been a bright spot in the healthcare landscape for the past several years. They allow patients to receive inpatient-level care at their homes instead of a traditional hospital. Once a rarity, they’ve popped up across the country as a way to lighten the burden on brick...
[Expiration of the waiver would be a] huge step backwards in terms of our capacity challenges in the state, in terms of health equity, in terms of how we care for rural populations in particular.
Constantinos Michaelidis, MD | Medical Director, Hospital at Home
Measles, myths and more: Fighting false claims in disease control
At first, it sounded like an isolated and tragic incident, but one perhaps too far away to cause any worries here in New England: an outbreak of measles in Texas, resulting in two deaths.
UMass Memorial Reaches Hospital-at-Home Milestone; Alper Reflects on Program’s Keys to Success
At a time when health systems are under increasing pressure to improve care delivery models, UMass Memorial Health has reached a significant milestone in its Hospital-at-Home program, admitting its 3,000th patient. This initiative, spearheaded by Dr. Eric Alper, Senior Vice President, Chief Quality...
We were at a point where our hospitals didn’t have enough space for the people that needed to be there. By moving acute-level care into the home, we believed we could provide safe, effective treatment while reducing the burden on our facilities.
Eric Alper, MD | Senior Vice President, Chief Quality Officer, and Chief Clinical Informatics Officer
The Challenges of Chronic Cough
Chronic cough remains a persistent challenge for clinicians and patients, given the wide range of potential causes and confusion regarding symptoms, according to experts.
One of the key features of chronic cough is its duration of 8 weeks or longer, which makes the cough less likely to be associated...
Nicholas Smyrnios Named Chief Quality Officer of UMass Memorial Medical Center/Medical Group
Nicholas Smyrnios, MD, professor of medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care Medicine, has been named Chief Quality Officer (CQO) of UMass Memorial Medical Center and Medical Group.
UMass Memorial chooses site in Groton for planned emergency care facility
UMass Memorial Health has chosen a site for the emergency care facility it says it will build to replace the emergency department at Nashoba Valley Medical Center, shuttered when the hospital closed last August.
'We had to:' UMass Memorial Health President and CEO says changes to healthcare were a 'must' to fight off COVID pandemic
COVID-19 brought on a lot of new challenges for people both in and out of healthcare. Things like mask wearing and social distancing became the norm. But surprising enough, the virus resulted in some positive changes. Changes to healthcare some never even imagined.
"Prior to COVID, we assumed that we...
Now we use video interpreters all the time. But we also now became much more comfortable delivering care through video. So now, we can have a paramedic go into the home through our mobile integrated health program, do labs, do a physical exam on the patient, put an iv in, deliver fluid, deliver medication.
Dr. Eric Dickson | President and CEO, UMass Memorial Health
Managing Mental Illness in Pregnancy and Postpartum: What to Know
For women with, or at a risk for, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, or other psychiatric conditions, managing mental health during pregnancy and postpartum presents unique challenges. For physicians, understanding the latest research and clinical guidance is essential for managing these...
We have very clear data that tells us that if a pregnant or postpartum individual doesn’t get the treatment that they need, if they’re experiencing a mood or anxiety disorder, that can have a negative impact on themselves and on their babies.
Nancy Byatt, DO | Perinatal psychiatrist with the Women’s Mental Health at UMass Memorial Medical Center