Business Bulletin

Beth Israel Lahey Health Opens New Haverhill Urgent Care Center in Riverside

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(Additional photographs below.)

There’s a new choice for urgent care in Haverhill with Beth Israel Lahey Health opening its new Urgent Care—Haverhill Monday at Rivers Edge Plaza in Riverside. The health care provider calls the new center, near the Registry of Motor Vehicles at 229-B Lincoln Ave., another option for non-life-threatening injuries and illnesses. “This urgent care center will expand access to high-quality care in the Merrimack Valley,” said Alex Barker, president of Beth Israel Lahey Health Medical Group. “We are proud of our commitment to growing care in the community, close to where our patients live.”

Officials noted Beth Israel Lahey Health’s strategic plan, called Blueprint 2030, set a goal to deliver 70% of the care it delivers in the community by 2030. They said BILH Urgent Care—Haverhill offers treatment for a wide range of non-emergency conditions, including cuts, sprains and minor broken bones; cold, flu and other respiratory infections; sinus infections and sore throats; skin rashes and poison ivy; urinary tract infections; and minor injuries from sports or work.

Health

Beacon Hill Health Leaders Learn of Local Health Care Challenges During GLFHC Visit

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State legislative leaders got an on-the-ground look last week at challenges impacting the delivery of primary health care in underserved communities. Sen. Cindy F. Friedman and Rep. John J. Lawn Jr., co-chairs of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, heard from Greater Lawrence Family Health Center’s leadership, physician residents, pharmacy staff and others July 21. “GLFHC’s model for family medicine is one of the best in class for delivering compassionate person-centric primary care and I applaud all the doctors, nurses, and care team members at GLFHC for meeting their patients where they are,” Friedman said in a statement released Friday. Other legislators in attendance were Rep. Frank A. Moran, second assistant majority leader, and Sen. Pavel M. Payano, a committee member. Payano said, “We heard directly from health care leaders and frontline staff about the challenges they face in advancing health equity and supporting the workforce.

Haverhill

Planned Changes at Holy Family Hospital Haverhill Bring Questions About Patient Costs and Future

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Should hospital officials prevail in their plan to shutter inpatient beds at Holy Family Hospital Haverhill, local patients who are transferred to Methuen or Lawrence won’t feel the burden of additional costs. Executives of Lawrence General Hospital offered that assurance during back-to-back meetings this week called to give the public a chance to weigh in on the proposal to maintain Holy Family’s emergency department as a “satellite” stand-alone unit, but send patients who need to be admitted to sister hospitals. The first of the two meetings was a formal public hearing called by the state Department of Public Health held Wednesday night at Northern Essex Community College. It covered the proposed closing of in-patient medical and surgical beds as well as the intensive care unit at the Haverhill campus. The second session was Thursday at Haverhill Public Library and run by hospital officials to hear comments from the public and answer questions.

Health

Methuen’s Forest Lake Temporarily Closes Due to E. Coli Bacteria

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High levels of E. Coli bacteria found in the water is forcing the closing of Methuen’s Forest Lake for the time being. The city’s Health Human Services and Inspections Department, in collaboration with the Water Department, is conducting regular tests to ensure the water meets safety standards. “We understand residents’ eagerness to enjoy water activities such as swimming, fishing and boating, but we kindly request your patience during this time. These activities will remain temporarily prohibited until we can confidently declare that the lake is once again safe for everyone,” officials said in a release issued Wednesday. The city further cautioned that while some may still try to take a dip, “the health risks associated with E. Coli contamination should not be taken lightly.

Haverhill

Podcast: Emergency Medicine Chief Schuur Outlines Haverhill Hospital Plan

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The chief of emergency medicine at Lawrence General Hospital appeared on WHAV last week to allay public concerns over plans to reduce services at Holy Family Hospital Haverhill. Lawrence General has applied to change its state license to allow it to close in-patient medical and surgical beds as well as the intensive care unit at Holy Family Hospital Haverhill, but retain the emergency department as a free-standing, or satellite, operation. Under the plan, the emergency department would remain staffed and opened 24 hours, seven days a week, according to Dr. Jeremiah “Jay” Schuur, head of emergency medicine at the three hospitals. Schuur said the main reason the hospital is seeking to close down the in-patient beds is only eight to 10 beds of the hospital’s 59 are used on a regular basis. Most patients who must be admitted are already being transferred to Holy Family Hospital Methuen.

Haverhill

State Awards Area Organization $1.2 Million to Address Children’s Mental Health Needs

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The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which serves Haverhill and Methuen and surrounding communities, Thursday was awarded a nearly $1.2 million state grant to support children’s mental health. The Lexington-based organization, a division of Eliot Community Human Services, was among six groups statewide to share in $5 million in Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation Grants. They are targeted to support the social-emotional development and behavioral health of children in early education and care programs.

“We have a mental health crisis that has only been made worse by the pandemic, particularly for our youngest kids,” said Gov. Maura T. Healey. “These grants will provide early education and care programs with the tools and resources needed to help educators identify those who are struggling and support families in accessing care.”

Other area communities served by Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children are Andover, Georgetown, Groveland, Lawrence, Merrimac, North Andover and West Newbury.

Haverhill

State Public Health Department Sets Hearing Date on Changes at Holy Family Hospital’s Haverhill Campus

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The state Department of Public Health wants to know what the public thinks of plans to shutter medical-surgical services, close the intensive care unit and make the emergency department a free standing or “satellite” unit at Holy Family Hospital’s Haverhill campus. State officials scheduled the formal public hearing Wednesday, July 23, at 6 p.m. at Northern Essex Community College’s David Hartleb Technology Center in room 103AB, 100 Elliott St., Haverhill. As previously reported by WHAV, Lawrence General Hospital, which bought the local hospital for $28 million from bankrupt Steward Health Care last fall, is citing efficiency as the reason for closing the hospital’s 59 in-patient beds. When it announced the plan in May, hospital officials said only eight to 10 in-patient beds are used daily and that most patients who need further treatment are transferred to its two other hospitals in Lawrence and Methuen via ambulance. That practice will continue under the new proposal.

Health

Lawrence General Hospital Nurses Reach Contract Accord

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Registered nurses at Lawrence General Hospital represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association ratified a new three-year contract this week. The pact does not cover nurses at the two Holy Family campuses in Haverhill and Methuen. The deal, back-dated to Oct. 24, gives nurses salary increases from 15 to 23% over the life of the agreement, according to a press release from the Massachusetts Nurses Association. “We are thrilled to have negotiated and now ratified a new contract that we believe will allow us to secure the nursing staff needed to ensure better care for our patients and the community we are so proud to serve,” Nurse Laurie Spheekas, co-chair of the nurses local bargaining unit, said in a statement.