Saint Vincent Hospital Reopens Behavioral Health Beds

Worcester, MA – Saint Vincent Hospital is pleased to announce that it reopened 12 inpatient behavioral health beds today. The beds were closed in August due to staffing challenges presented by the longstanding nurses strike.

“We have been eager to reopen this service for our friends and neighbors in Central Massachusetts, and grateful to those whose hard work and determination made this happen,” said Saint Vincent Chief Executive Officer Carolyn Jackson.

“This is another step on our journey to reopening services impacted during the strike,” Jackson said. “Thanks to our hiring efforts and the commitment of many staff members, we are very happy to have the Saint Vincent personnel in place to care for these patients right here in Worcester.”

The beds reopened today represent 60 percent of Saint Vincent Hospital’s inpatient psychiatry capacity. The Hospital expects to reopen even more beds after the striking nurses return to the bedside in January.

“We made a promise to this community that we would reopen beds and resume suspended services as soon as possible, and that’s exactly what we are doing starting today,” Jackson said.

“In the meantime, we owe our behavioral health nurses and mental health counselors a debt of gratitude for serving patients in the Emergency Department over the last several months. We know they are looking forward to returning to their home unit, and our patients will benefit from their compassionate care.”