UMass Memorial Health, the largest healthcare provider in Central Massachusetts, on Friday confirmed it is starting its own health insurance division.

The insurance company -- called Central Mass Health LLC -- will be organized under the UMass Memorial Health Ventures umbrella, which is for all the non-hospital aspects of the UMass Memorial system.

A group of Central Massachusetts entities including the Worcester and Marlborough chambers of commerce, UMass Memorial Health and community groups have formed a coalition opposed to Mass General Brigham's expansion plans, which include a new outpatient facility in Westborough.

The Massachusetts Health Policy Commission will not conduct a detailed review of market costs for a proposed merger between UMass Memorial Health and Harrington Hospital, based on preliminary findings the deal isn't likely to lead to additional costs for patients.

The partnership between UMass Memorial Health and the Worcester Red Sox aims at improving the well-being of fans entering Polar Park this year.

On Tuesday, the organizations announced several programs at the ballpark that will bolster fans’ health focused around improving eating habits and exercise.

A new technique is helping doctors at UMass Memorial Medical Center treat men with prostate cancer and improve their quality of life.

UMass began performing the robotic Retzius-sparing prostatectomy within the last three months, but urology specialist Dr. Igor Sorokin says the technology has been around for a few years and first became popular in Europe.

Worcester Academy sophomore Justin Mohaghegh of Holden tested positive for COVID-19 in January. Before getting back to playing his sports — basketball and golf — he had to complete the school’s five-stage protocol.

It's a process familiar to all Worcester Academy student-athletes who contract the coronavirus.

Mindfulness apps are ubiquitous. But mindfulness and mindfulness meditation, a form of meditation that focuses on present moment experiences, existed long before smartphones arrived on the scene, and have been used to soothe humans in stressful times well before COVID-19.

Ginny Wholley, a certified mindfulness-based stress reduction instructor at UMass Memorial Health Care Center for Mindfulness, defines mindfulness as an awareness that comes from the practice of paying attention with a kind and non-judgmental attitude. 

Central Massachusetts has not seen a drastic spike in COVID-19 cases since the state started reopening and for residents hoping things go back to normal soon, it's good news. 

But UMass Memorial Health Care CEO, Dr. Eric Dickson, says the region isn't out of the woods yet. 

"Our biggest concern now is the UK variant that is clearly in central Massachusetts and on the rise" he said. 

As the Commonwealth of Massachusetts prepares to enter the next phase of the reopening plan on Monday, health care leaders from throughout the state play a major role in Governor Baker's decision making process.