64 W o r c e s t e r 3 0 0 : C i t y o f I n n o v a t o r s
2022 & Beyond
T
he healthcare industry is
Worcester's largest employer, with
more than 20,000 jobs held among
the city's various medical and
healthcare-related organizations.
at dominance over the city's
economy is unlikely to let up in the
city's fourth century.
Institutions like UMass Memorial Health,
Fallon Health, and the Edward M. Kennedy
Community Health Center cover aspects
of the industry in Worcester, from helping
provide health insurance coverage to
helping train a new generation of medical
Challenges, old and new
professionals. In the wake of the COVID-19
pandemic, the importance of quality health
care, as well as a need to improve that
quality, is at the top of the minds of both the
public and Worcester's health care leaders.
"I thought going into the pandemic,
this was going to be our moment to shine
… and I was proven right," said Steve
Kerrigan, president and CEO of the Kennedy
Health Center. "e Worcester community
galvanized as one in support of each other in
how we tackled every issue from childcare to
health care to jobs to transportation."
e way people choose to receive health
coverage saw a dramatic shi as a result
of the pandemic, with an explosion of
telehealth services substituting for some in-
person appointments. Richard Burke, CEO
of the insurer Fallon Health, said he expects
the trend to continue in the years ahead.
"e new normal [of telehealth] will be
much higher than it was pre-COVID," said
Burke. "It's not for everything by no means,
but for many services, it is convenient, it
It's not acceptable for
people to have the same
insurance and have
different experiences.
– Richard Burke
PHOTOS | WBJ FILE
The problems of healthcare equity
and delivery will evolve over the
next century
Worcester
nurses partake
in a fellowship.
