Page 55 - Healthcare News August 2021

MassDevelopment Issues $8 Million Bond for Glenmeadow Upgrades
LONGMEADOW — MassDevelopment has issued an $8 million, tax-exempt bond on behalf of Glenmeadow Inc., a non- profit life-plan community at 24 Tabor Crossing in Longmeadow for individuals age 62 or older.
Using bond proceeds, the organization will fund improvements to the 24-year-old facility’s residential apartments and com- mon areas, including upgrading flooring, lighting, paint, electrical, plumbing, and HVAC; replacing equipment, windows, and doors; reconfiguring interior walls
to enlarge group meeting places; and redesigning unit layouts. The upgrades will also involve repairing and upgrading the natatorium, repairing and replacing the roof, resurfacing roadways and park- ing areas, redesigning and reconstructing
sidewalks, and completing other general facility improvements. PeoplesBank pur- chased the bond, which will also be used to refinance previously issued debt.
“The Baker-Polito administration is committed to enhancing and expanding high-quality assisted- and independent- living options for our senior population,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, who serves as chair of MassDevelopment’s board of directors. “MassDevelopment’s reasonable financing options are perfectly suited for nonprofit continuing-care organizations who are looking to make infrastructure and facility improvements to their senior communities.”
Added MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera, “MassDevelop-
ment is proud to continue our years-long partnership with Glenmeadow Inc. For generations, Glenmeadow has provided an engaging and supportive home for seniors in Western Massachusetts, and we are pleased to once again support the organization as it upgrades its campus to create an improved living experience for residents.”
In 2013, MassDevelopment issued a $3 million bond on behalf of Glenmeadow Inc. to help the organization renovate its main building by updating public and of- fice spaces, building an additional dining venue, expanding areas for wellness activi- ties, and improving common areas.
“Glenmeadow’s partnership with MassDevelopment once again is helping us transform our beautiful campus,” Glen-
meadow President and CEO Anne Thom- as said. “We are proud of our history of providing premier, individualized services for older adults, and these improvements will elevate our facilities and dramatically enhance the resident experience.”
MassDevelopment, the state’s devel- opment finance agency and land bank, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. Dur- ing FY 2020, MassDevelopment financed or managed 341 projects, generating in- vestment of more than $2.69 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 10,871 jobs and build or preserve 1,787 housing units.
Baystate Wing Hospital Receives Award for Stroke Care
PALMER — Baystate Wing Hospital received the Paul Coverdell National Stroke Program Award for achieving door imaging (CT scan) in less than 25 minutes from arrival for at least 75% of its stroke patients. This award shows Wing’s commitment to using nationally recognized, research-based guidelines backed by the latest scientific evidence.
This award recognizes achievement in decreasing the time to scan a patient for diagnostic purposes, decreasing the time to treatment, and improving recovery rates for stroke patients who arrived in the Emergency Department in 2020. Hospital leadership expressed pride that the extra precautions for COVID-19 did not affect the quality of care received by patients who suffered from a stroke.
For the award, patients must receive a head CT scan within 25 minutes of arrival for acute ischemic stroke or hemorrhagic stroke patients who arrive within two hours of the start of symptoms. Hospitals were encouraged to include EMS agencies in quality-improvement activities aimed at improving this measure.
“We are very proud of this award and attri- bute it to the collaborative efforts of our stroke team,” said Dr. Robert Spence, chief of Emer- gency Medicine at Baystate Wing Hospital. “Our team at Baystate Wing Hospital strive to provide exceptional care to all of our patients. We work closely with area EMS providers
to initiate a stroke alert when they recognize
a patient with stroke symptoms in the field. Once they initiate that stroke alert, our team assembles to begin the stroke assessment and treatment the moment a patient arrives in our ER. We are proud that our commitment to providing quality stroke care was recognized by this prestigious award from the DPH’s Coverdell Stroke program.”
Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the Commonwealth and a leading cause of adult disability.
Dr. Robert Spence
COVID-19 Testing at HCC Extended Through October
HOLYOKE — Free “Stop the Spread” COVID-19 testing at Holyoke Commu- nity College (HCC) has been extended through October, according to the Holy- oke Board of Health.
Drive-through testing at HCC is conducted six days a week in Parking Lot M beside the Bartley Center for Athletics & Recreation on the opposite side of the
HCC campus on Homestead Avenue. HCC has been serving as a “Stop the Spread” drive-through testing site since
Auguest 2020 to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. Drivers are asked to enter the campus from Homestead Avenue, turn right onto the Campus Road, and proceed to the parking lot. There are signs and parking attendants on site to help guide
traffic.
The HCC testing site is open Monday,
Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday from 7 to 11 a.m.; and Tuesday and Thursday from 2 to 7 p.m. Testing is free to all Massachusetts residents and conducted on a first-come, first-served basis. There are no appointments, and no referral is necessary. Turnaround time for results is
typically four days or fewer.
Testing may sometimes be canceled due
to inclement weather. Visit the Holyoke Board of Health website at www.holyoke. org/departments/board-of-health for up- to-date information on cancellations.
AUGUST 2021
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