Baystate Noble’s Fowler Unit will close
SPRIGFIELD – The Baystate Noble Hospital Fowler unit will be among three behavioral health units that will close as Baystate Health and Kindred Healthcare partner to open a new $43 million behavioral health hospital.
The venture was announced July 21 in an online press conference.
Dr. Mark A. Keroack, president and CEO of Baystate Health, said they are looking at building in Holyoke and have been eyeing the former Holyoke Geriatric Authority property on Lower Westfield Road.
“We are in communication with the City of Holyoke,” Keroack said, noting Holyoke’s central location to all of western Massachusetts as a prime reason they want to be in that city.
Baystate Health Chair of Psychiatry Barry Sarvet said the new 120-bed facility will address the shortage of behavioral health beds in the region – increasing patient access to Baystate Health’s specialty inpatient behavioral healthcare for adults (including geriatrics), adolescents and children by more than 50%.
According to Keroack, there are currently “zero beds” for children in need of psychiatric care and they are often kept in emergency departments for days while waiting for a space to open up.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Keroack said.
The new hospital will have a designated children’s unit.
Sarvet said there was a serious need for behavioral health before the coronavirus pandemic, and now it’s needed more than ever. A brand new, state-of-the-art facility will go far to meet the needs of the community.
“This gives us the opportunity to develop spaces designed for psychiatric care as opposed to cramming psychiatric patients in a space meant for medical care,” Sarvet said.
Kindred will manage day-to-day operations of the hospital, and Baystate Health psychiatrists and advanced practitioners will provide care under the medical leadership of Sarvet.
The hospital will be designed specifically for behavioral health services to foster a better healing environment for patients. The hospital will feature distinct units to meet patients’ varying treatment needs and is expected to employ more than 200 direct caregivers and ancillary staff.
The current employees of the psychiatry departments in the Baystate Health system would lose their jobs when the closures occur, however, they would all have the opportunity to apply for positions at the new hospital. There are 180 behavioral health employees now and Baystate anticipates 220 employees will be needed at the new facility. Servat said there is a pipeline of psychiatrists, both for adults and children, coming through Baystate’s residency program, that would provide the needed psychiatrists.
Administration will work with community agencies to assist patients and families with transportation.
Sarvet said the hospital would have a relaxing environment. Spaces for exercise, outdoor space and a dedicated cafeteria are among the plans.
“We are committed to an environment that honors the dignity of our patients,” he said.
According to a press release from Baystate Health, Kindred Healthcare, LLC is a healthcare services company based in Louisville, Kentucky with annual revenues of approximately $3.2 billion. At March 31, 2020, Kindred through its subsidiaries had approximately 31,800 employees providing healthcare services in 1,731 locations in 46 states, including 64 long-term acute care hospitals, 21 inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, 10 sub-acute units, 95 inpatient rehabilitation units (hospital-based), contract rehabilitation service businesses which served 1,541 non-affiliated sites of service, and behavioral health services. Ranked as one of Fortune magazine’s Most Admired Healthcare Companies for nine years, Kindred’s mission is to help our patients reach their highest potential for health and healing with intensive medical and rehabilitative care through a compassionate patient experience.
Keroack said Baystate chose Kindred following a rigorous search because of its shared commitment to patients.
“In building a state-of-the-art behavioral health facility to serve the area’s most vulnerable patients, we recognize that such a major undertaking could not be achieved without a quality partner. Kindred’s strength in building and operating specialty hospitals coupled with Baystate’s behavioral health clinical expertise is the perfect fit. We are looking forward to creating an unparalleled community resource dedicated to the needs of all behavioral health patients,” said Keroack in a prepared statement.
“Our partnership with Baystate creates a unique opportunity to expand access to high-quality behavioral health services in western Massachusetts,” stated Rob Marsh, senior vice president and chief operating officer for Kindred Behavioral Health. “Kindred is a leader in treating medically complex and rehab-intensive patients, leveraging partnerships and innovation to enhance care. Through KBH, we are building upon our existing clinical and operational capabilities to address the unmet need for behavioral health services.”
In discussing the timeline for opening, Marsh said once the site is secured, Kindred typically opens new facilities within two years.
Until the new hospital is completed, Baystate will continue to operate its inpatient behavioral health units at its community hospitals – Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Baystate Noble Hospital and Baystate Wing Hospital. Upon completion of the new facility, these units will be closed.
Baystate Noble and Franklin Vice President Ronald Bryant said there are no solid plans yet for the Fowler unit in Westfield after its closing.
Emergency care services will continue to be provided at all Baystate Health hospitals, and the treatment of medically complex patients will continue at Baystate Medical Center in its Adult Psychiatric Treatment Unit.
