Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | June 16, 2025 | Worcester Business Journal 7 e least profitable programs at UMa- ss Memorial are pediatrics, obstetrics, psychiatry, and primary care: services that can ironically reduce the cost of care for the state. "But if you shrink pediatrics, OB, primary care, and psychiatry, where do you think those patients end up? e emergency department," Dickson said. And the emergency room is the most expensive place in the hospital to deliver care. Due to its nature, providers in the ER are usually beginning care without information on their patients, meaning more time is spent with each client, further stalling wait times. Emergency room patients in Massa- chusetts experience the third-longest wait times in the nation, according to a report by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. "If we don't figure out how to fund this shortfall, and we subsequently see a deterioration in those key programs that keep people out of the emergency department, we are going to be number one, and that's embarrassing for the state of Massachusetts," said Dickson. UMass has already had to make difficult decisions to cut programming. In the last nine months, the system has closed two primary care clinics and one teen detox center within its behavioral health affiliate due to financial strains, in part associated with the Health Safety Net shortfall. Far-reaching impacts "When HSN is a shrinking platform, it's a shrinking ra. en [patients] have fewer options, fewer access to services outside of our health center, and the broader ecosystem that then impacts their health and exacerbates the dispari- ties," said Brady. When the region's hospitals face a deficit in funding, that hurts the health centers too, he said. Community health centers care for patients regardless of their ability to pay, and emergency rooms legally cannot deny patients because of lack of insurance or financial means. Brady said the financial strain on hospitals and their potential service reductions is going to directly impact the health center's patients as residents scramble to find care, with those already facing disparities impacted the most. People who live in Worcester's Salis- bury Street neighborhood have a life expectancy of 84 years old, said Brady, an expectancy 12 years higher than those two miles down the road, who live in Union Hill, where the life expectancy is 71.6 years. "at's something that we can tackle. We know the ways to do that, and we've got a plan to take that on. Spirit is will- ing, but the flesh is weak," he said. But regardless of zip code, the HSN's shortfall will reach all residents, in part due to hospital closures, said Dickson. In August, Central Massachusetts lost Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer. e hospital was run by the for-profit, Dallas-based Steward Health Care, and its closure immediately resulted in an in- crease in neighboring emergency depart- ment patients in September, according to data collected by e Boston Globe. "We had 10 [Massachusetts] hospitals bankrupt in 2024. Two of them came out. Six of them were acquired, and two of them are still closed," said Dickson. "If we don't figure this out, then there will be more." In navigating the HSN shortfall, FH- CW's strategic plan has heavily leaned into collaboration with neighboring organizations in order to help meet the needs of its patients. e center may need to consider borrowing money, going into lines of credit, and paying interest on that debt. While that can provide some relief, it's at the expense of forward momentum, such as stalling the hiring of anoth- er staff member working toward the center's mission or adding a nurse or community health worker to its care team, Brady said. All decisions set off chain reactions throughout the region. "at squeezes that vital resource that should be available to everyone in the community, and makes it harder for everyone in the community to access it," said Brady. "So, even though you are insured, this is your fight." -300 -250 -200 -150 -100 -50 0 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025* 2026* Estimated $250 million Estimated $290 million Safety deficit The Massachusetts Health Safety Net's deficit has grown by more than 1,000% since fiscal year 2020. Source: Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association Dr. Eric Dickson, president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health W

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