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Mayor Jon Mitchell announced the reopening of a Southeastern Massachusetts Regional Care Center in New Bedford for those recovering from COVID-19.
The former nursing home facility, located at 4586 Acushnet Avenue, opened Monday, January 18 as a COVID-19 recovery and care center.
City of New Bedford photo.
The facility is operated by Essex Group Management Corporation’s nonprofit Buttonwood Healthcare division, a partnership that began in April with the announcement of the establishment of two regional care centers in New Bedford.
It is one of two such facilities leased by the City. Earlier this year, the City opened the other of the two facilities, located at 1123 Rockdale Avenue; that care center will remain closed at this time. The Acushnet Avenue site has 123 beds, while the Rockdale Avenue site has 107 beds. The care center will be staffed by physicians and advanced practice nurses who are committed to seeing that patients are cared for and treated.
Earlier this month, Mayor Mitchell announced the City’s decision to reopen the facility to assist the region’s healthcare system with the recent surge of COVID-19 patients. The facility will house patients who still require medical care, but do not require hospitalization, to ease the burden on local hospitals.
“The reopening of a surge facility in New Bedford will offer an outlet that supports our region’s busy hospitals during this resurgence of the virus. Thanks to the work of our City facilities crews and our partners at the Essex Group, the opening of the center will ensure that our health care system can continue to attend to patients during the peak of the pandemic,” said Mayor Mitchell.
City of New Bedford photo.
