UMass Memorial Breaks Ground on Emergency Center in Nashoba Valley

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in Groton on Monday, Sept. 22, for a new satellite emergency center to be operated by UMass Memorial Health. The new facility will replace the Nashoba Valley Medical Center, which closed last summer.

Gov. Maura Healey joined Rep. Lori Trahan (D-3rd District), Sen. John Cronin (D-Worcester and Middlesex), staff from UMass Memorial Health, and several fire chiefs representing the Nashoba Valley communities for the groundbreaking.

The new emergency center, located at 490 Main St. in Groton, will provide emergency care, imaging services, laboratory services, observation beds, and emergency consultative services. Construction is expected to wrap up by early 2027, said UMass Memorial Health President and CEO Dr. Eric Dickson.

The Nashoba Valley region — an area in North Central Massachusetts with communities including Ayer, Stow, Lancaster, and Groton — has been without a significant medical facility since Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer closed last summer. No buyer stepped forward to purchase the facility after its owner, the Dallas-based Steward Health Care, filed for bankruptcy in May 2024.

As a result of the closure, emergency medical services (EMS) from the Nashoba Valley fire departments faced significant challenges. Travel times to hospitals in Fitchburg and Lowell are greater than they are from Ayer, according to Groton Fire Chief Arthur Cheeks and Littleton Fire Chief Steele McCurdy.

McCurdy reported to MassLive that the state is currently facing a shortage among EMS workers. Due to this shortage, fire departments and EMS officials can only afford to allocate a limited number of workers to help transport people to hospitals.

During the groundbreaking, Healey and Trahan criticized Steward Health Care and its former CEO, Ralph de la Torre, for prioritizing profits over patient care.

“Today, we recommit to healthcare in this region and across our state,” Healey said to a crowd gathered to attend the ceremony. “There's nothing more precious than making sure we have access to care in the most vulnerable moments.”

Healey has approved a $5 million supplemental budget to support EMS services until the new emergency center is operational.