Baystate Health

Baystate Health is a not-for-profit integrated health system headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, serving Western Massachusetts and the Knowledge Corridor Region of Massachusetts and Connecticut. The system has 4 hospitals, over 80 medical practices, and 25 reference laboratories. With 12,000 employees^[1] including 1,600 physicians, Baystate Health is one of Massachusetts' largest employers.^[1] Baystate also owns the for-profit insurer Health New England.

History

1974–1983

In 1974, Springfield Hospital Medical Center merged Wesson Women's Hospital to create the 672-bed Medical Center of Western Massachusetts. In 1976, the Medical Center of Western Massachusetts merged with Wesson Memorial Hospital. The merger established Baystate Medical Center, then the second-largest hospital in New England, with 1,036 beds.

In 1983, Baystate Medical Center was reorganized into three separate corporations: Baystate Health Systems, the parent corporation now renamed Baystate Health; Baystate Medical Center; and the for-profit corporation Baystate Diversified Health Services. The reorganization provided a legal framework for developing a future multi-institutional health care system and for reducing the assets that would be encumbered with the financing of a major new hospital building.

1986–2004

In 1986, Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield joined Baystate Health; in 1999, Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware joined the health system. In 2004, the Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice of Pioneer Valley, now renamed the Baystate Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice, became a member of Baystate Health.

To this end, a major corporate restructuring in 1997 reduced the number of governing boards across BH from twenty-one to six. On January 1, 2004, the governance structure of Baystate Health was further simplified with the establishment of a single board of trustees for Baystate Health that also serves as mirror boards for its patient care entities that had previously been governed by a separate board.

Components of Baystate Health

Baystate Children's Hospital

Located on the campus of Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, Baystate Children's Hospital, with 110 beds and 57 bassinets, provides complete critical care programs, including the region's only Pediatric Intensive Care and Neonatal Intensive Care Units.^[2] Baystate Children's Hospital also includes pediatric inpatient services, child life specialists, an emergency room for kids, and outpatient specialty services.

Baystate Franklin Medical Center

Baystate Franklin Medical Center is a 90-bed,^[3] tax-exempt, not-for-profit hospital in Greenfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1895, BFMC provides medical, surgical, obstetric, pediatric, psychiatric and behavioral health inpatient care, as well as outpatient services. The hospital has an innovative inpatient program that combines medical and behavioral health services. In collaboration with the University of Massachusetts, hospital staff embarked in 2003 on the creation of a Healing Environment throughout the hospital. With 900 employees, BFMC is the only hospital in Franklin County and serves rural communities with appropriate specialized services.

Baystate Mary Lane Hospital

Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in Ware, Massachusetts, is a 31-bed,^[4] tax-exempt, not-for-profit hospital, providing medical, surgical, pediatric, obstetric, emergency, outpatient, and adult day care services. Founded in 1909 by the Ware Visiting Nurse Association, the hospital services communities in Western and Central Massachusetts. The hospital was renamed Baystate Mary Lane Hospital in 2006.

In 2016, it was announced they will stop overnight care at the hospital.

Baystate Medical Center

Springfield Hospital c. 1940s, now Baystate Medical Center

Baystate Medical Center is a tax-exempt, not-for-profit hospital in Springfield, Massachusetts. With 716 beds^[5] and more than 4,000 employees, BMC serves as the tertiary care referral center for the region. It has the area's only neonatal intensive care unit, the region's level-1 trauma center with pediatric designation, an adult cardiac surgery service with the region's only open-heart surgery program, and a kidney transplantation program.

Baystate Noble Hospital

Baystate Noble Hospital is a A 97-bed acute care community hospital providing a broad range of services to the Greater Westfield, Massachusetts community.^[6] Services include intensive care, diagnostic imaging, emergency services, cardiopulmonary services and rehab, cancer services, lab and behavioral health.

Baystate Wing Hospital

Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer, Massachusetts is a 74-bed community hospital^[7] with a rich history of providing outstanding health care for people throughout the Quaboag Hills and the Pioneer Valley. In addition, Baystate Wing’s five medical centers, located in Belchertown, Ludlow, Monson, Palmer, and Wilbraham, offer extensive outpatient services and primary care provided by physicians who specialize in adult family medicine, internal medicine, geriatric medicine and pediatric medicine.

The Hospital of the future

Baystate Medical Center built a new facility to meet the Greater Springfield community’s needs. Hundreds of people—from patients to care providers to the community at large— shared ideas and experiences to design the 641,000-square-foot (59,600 m²), $300 million facility that includes: a heart and vascular center; new patient care units with private rooms; a new emergency department, which, at 70,000 square feet (6,500 m²) in size is 3½ times the size of the current Emergency Department. The new building also includes shell space for future growth. The so-called Hospital of the Future was officially dedicated on February 28, 2012. The Massachusetts Department of Health certified the new building in January 2012 and new patients began to occupy the building in March 2012.^{[8][9][10][11]}

Notes

References

• http://baystatehealth.org/annualreport

External links

• Baystate Health Website
• Baystate Health Jobs

Coordinates: 42°7′16.2″N 72°36′12.4″W / 42.121167°N 72.603444°W / 42.121167; -72.603444