Milford Regional and UMass Memorial to Explore "Affiliation"

Above UMass Memorial Ambulatory Care facility (© Mike Sears/RDK Engineers - RDK Engineers). In 2022, UMass Memorial proposed an affiliation with Heywood Hospital in Gardner, an arrangement that later fell through. More recently it has been involved in controversy with its recent decision to close the maternity unit at Leominster Hospital, a facility it acquired more than 20 years ago. Yesterday's announcement about the emerging relationship between UMass Memorial and Milford Regional is below.

Milford Regional Medical Center and Milford Regional Physician Group and UMass Memorial Health, with the approval of their respective Boards of Trustees, late Wednesday, announced the signing of a non-binding Letter of Intent that will allow the organizations to explore a potential corporate affiliation.

Given the current healthcare landscape, it has become increasingly challenging for Milford Regional to maintain its status as an independent community hospital without considering significant programmatic changes. Also, the lasting impacts of the pandemic and sustained financial losses have inhibited its ability to act on necessary growth and expansion.

“Building on the foundation of our outstanding team, high quality care, mature physician network and our supportive community, a future corporate affiliation with UMass Memorial Health would make it possible for us to move forward with necessary and strategic expansion, among other mutually beneficial opportunities, to continue to meet the growing needs of our community, locally,” said Milford Regional President and Chief Executive Officer Edward J. Kelly.

A full-service, community and regional teaching hospital, Milford Regional is a 148-bed, nonprofit, acute care facility serving a region of 20-plus towns with more than 300 primary care and specialty physicians. Milford Regional has a long history of investing in community health needs; in 2015, it opened a 78,000 square-foot building that houses a new emergency department, intensive care unit and private patient rooms.

UMass Memorial Health and Milford Regional have enjoyed a strong collaboration since 1991 when Milford Regional Medical Center became the first hospital to clinically affiliate with UMass Memorial Medical Center. Since then, many additional clinical and educational programs have been created with UMass Memorial Health to bolster the level of care offered to the Greater Milford community.

“Milford Regional is committed to a path forward that maintains the high quality and wide-reaching health care services that we provide our community. Our financial and strategic analysis shows that the best way to do so is to corporately affiliate with a like-minded organization that shares our commitment to community health. UMass Memorial Health is both a valued current partner and an organization that shares our values,” said Kelly.

“Milford Regional has an outstanding reputation as a provider of high-quality health care for its community,” said UMass Memorial Health President and Chief Executive Officer Eric W. Dickson, MD. “This proposed corporate affiliation will improve access to health care services for patients across Central Massachusetts. We look forward to continuing our discussions and are confident we can reach agreement in a way that meets shared goals and supports the continued success of Milford Regional.”

“We are honored to have a chance to create a stronger affiliation with such a great organization,” said UMass Memorial Community Hospitals President Douglas Brown. “Milford not only provides great clinical care, but it also takes seriously its commitment to the community. We are excited by the prospect of helping to deepen that commitment, particularly as it relates to addressing social determinants of health.”

According to these leaders, the two organizations will now move forward to conduct further due diligence and seek to reach agreement on a potential corporate affiliation that meets key goals, including:

• Maintaining Milford Regional’s position as the provider of choice in the Greater Milford community;
• Enhancing opportunities and strengthening retention of Milford Regional employees and providers;
• Making capital investments to enhance services, equipment and care delivery; and
• Maintaining clinical programs and services that are valued by the community.

###

Milford Regional Medical Center is a full-service, community and regional teaching hospital located in Milford, Mass. Together with its affiliated physician group, Milford Regional Physician Group, it serves patients from more than 20 towns in Central Massachusetts. The 148-bed medical center is a nonprofit, acute-care facility, where more than 300 primary care and specialty physicians are committed to providing exceptional healthcare services to our community with dignity, compassion and respect.

UMass Memorial Health is the largest not-for-profit health care system in Central Massachusetts with more than 15,500 employees and 2,100 physicians, many of whom are members of UMass Memorial Medical Group and Harrington Physician Services. We are the clinical partner of UMass Chan Medical School. Our comprehensive system includes UMass Memorial Medical Center, UMass Memorial Health – Harrington, UMass Memorial Health – HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, UMass Memorial Health – Marlborough Hospital, and UMass Memorial Health – Community Healthlink. Together, we impact every aspect of life in the region by making health and wellness services available to everyone, at the bedside, in the clinic or community, or even at home, advocating for social equality and providing economic stability and opportunity. There are many ways to heal. We pursue them all. Relentlessly. Visit www.ummhealth.org.