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Date: 12/22/2020
HOLYOKE – Holyoke Medical Center is moving beyond the limits of Holyoke.
Holyoke Medical Center’s Chief Operations Officer Carl Cameron told Reminder Publishing their expansion began by moving their office in Chicopee from New Ludlow Road to Memorial Drive in 2018.
“It was in two buildings we owned, off the beaten path of Memorial Drive,” he said. The move for the primary care office, he explained, was related to “what we were getting out of the systems.” He said they thought the location on 1962 Memorial Dr. “would be a home run,” so they pursued the location.
“So we made an investment when we moved in there,” he said. Cameron said when the practice moved locations, they implemented some changes that have benefited those receiving medical care.
“There was historically no walk in or urgent care services. Walk in and urgent care continue to grow” he explained. However, now, he said there were two providers for emergency care and walk in services, and five primary care providers. This, he said, has allowed for the location to grow and assist more people.
“Volume has picked up, we have the ability to add new patients to our panel,” he said.
In addition to adding urgent care services, Cameron said they also added physical therapy services, x-ray services and ultrasound services. These services have also continued to grow with other services.
“Physical therapy started with one staff out there, we’re out to four now. We have the ability to grow to about six staff members at that location,” he said.
While Cameron said they “haven’t made any commitments yet,” they were “looking at what other potential services to bring to Chicopee.” He said they were looking into adding a rotating specialist and other services such as a complete sleep lab.
Another added benefit of the location, Cameron explained, was the location and their ability to service a larger community. “We’re on the Chicopee, South Hadley line. We’re able to service Chicopee, South Hadley, it’s strategic for both,” he said.
“The whole part of it is Chicopee doesn’t necessarily have a hospital. We worked very closely with the mayor over in Chicopee with how Holyoke Medical Center could be a good partner,” he said. “We’ve done the same thing with South Hadley. It allows us to bridge other services and opportunities to the residents of Chicopee and South Hadley by extending locations out.”
In recent years, he said Holyoke Medical Center has also added a Westfield location as well, which opened shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. That family medicine practice on 140 Southampton Rd. has two providers and also offers lab services, Cameron said. While the location was closed in March, April and May, he said the location was now up, running and growing.
“That’s beginning to become a very popular site as well,” he said.
One significant benefit for Holyoke Medical Center, he said, was connecting new patients to their care through their satellite sites. “Maybe we get a patient that hasn’t come to Holyoke before and they get ingrained in the process and ingrained with a specialist,” he said.
While they wanted “to remain an independent hospital,” he said they were an organization who strove to always provide patients with the best care possible.