UMass Memorial Health to open emergency department in wake of Nashoba closing. Here's where
Henry Schwan
- The center will open possibly in late 2026.
- It will offer full emergency services plus imaging and other services.
- UMass officials will host a public meeting on 6:30 p.m.May 6 on the project.
WORCESTER — UMass Memorial Health confirmed it will build an emergency department in Groton to help fill the health care void left after last summer's closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center.
A purchase and sale agreement has been signed and the facility will be located at 490 Main St., according to a UMass statement.
The goal is to finish construction in October 2026 and open the following month, according to a document from a lawyer representing UMass filed as part of a recent Groton Select Board meeting.
State Department of Public Health sign-off is needed before the facility can open, the document said.
UMass announced in January its intention to build an emergency department in North Central Massachusetts.
"We're very excited this facility is coming. It fills a huge void left by the closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center," said Mark Haddad, Groton town manager.
UMass said the operation will offer the same level of emergency services as a traditional department, plus imaging, lab services, observation beds, surgical and other emergency consultation services.
It will operate daily, round-the-clock, and will be staffed by UMass Memorial Medical Group doctors, physicians assistants and nurses, according to the lawyer's document.
Plans include 11 emergency department bays and four observation rooms with full-monitoring capabilities, ambulance bays and a helicopter pad for direct access to UMass Memorial Health's Lifeflight and Boston MedFlight programs.
The site will be on roughly 9 acres of vacant land and UMass said it took emergency transportation times, access to health care services and community input into consideration when it chose the site.
Haddad noted the emergency department will not be a drain on Groton's fire and EMS services. Instead of extended ambulance drives to other hospitals since Nashoba hospital closed, travel times will be much shorter when the UMass facility opens.
"At the end of the day, for the region and Groton, this will be a wonderful facility and a great opportunity for Nashoba Valley," said Haddad.
UMass officials will host a public meeting at 6:30 p.m. May 6 at the Groton Performing Arts Center to introduce the project to the community, according to Haddad.
Contact Henry Schwan at henry.schwan@telegram.com. Follow him on X: @henrytelegram.