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PARTNERS | HEALTHY CITY | HOW HEALTHY | VISION | SUMMIT | PRIORITIES | FUNCTIONS | CITY OF FALL RIVER |
The opening
of a new 120-bed inpatient behavioral health hospital on Faunce Corner
Road in Dartmouth, built by Acadia
Healthcare, required the approval of the transfer of thirty inpatient
beds from the Rogers Unit at St.
Luke’s Hospital. Part of the process included a required a public
comment opportunity before officials of the Massachusetts
Department of Public Health licensing division. Sherman Lohnes,
Director of the Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and
Certification was joined by Lisa Llamas, Director of Nursing Licensing for
the MA Dept. of
Mental Health, to receive input at the McBratney Auditorium at St.
Luke's Hospital in New Bedford on August 28, 2015. Eleven proponents of
the move appeared to testify as to their support of the move, and a letter
from Dr. Douglas Muncie, Medical Director of Southcoast Behavior Health,
was also read into the record. "The transfer of beds from the Rogers Unit at St.
Luke’s Hospital and the opening of the Southcoast/Acadia facility should
substantially improve the availability of hospital services, thus reducing
the need to transport patients long distances for treatment," stated
Partners Executive Director Dr. David Weed. " It
is our hope that these additional services, when combined with increased
hospital beds, will finally address the longstanding shortage of treatment
resources for the Greater Fall River Area as well as the Southeast
Region," he added.![]() |
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(Top row) Massachusetts Department of Public Health Director of the Division of Health Care Facility Licensure and Certification Sherman Lohnes opens the session and calls on Renee Clark, Senior Vice-President and CEO of Southcoast Hospitals to make an opening statement before State Representative Christopher Markey makes his statement. (Row two) Arbor-Fuller Hospital CEO Kevin Burchill and Children's Advocacy Center of Bristol County Executive Director Michelle Loranger speak next. (Row three) Partners Executive Director David Weed speaks before Southcoast Behavioral Health CEO Bill Parsons and St. Luke's Emergency Department Physician Director Jennifer Pope speak. (Row four) State Representative Patricia Haddad, Emergency Department Psychiatry Liaison Dr. Lisa Llanas-Hagberg, and PAACA Executive Director Carl Alves offer their comments. (Bottom row) Rev. David A. Lima of the Inter-Church Council of Greater New Bedford is the last to comment before Mr. Lohnes concludes the session and shakes hands with Ms. Clark at the end of the session. |
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