SOUTHBRIDGE, Mass. – A new eight-room, state-of-the-art ICU occupies what was once unused space at UMass Memorial Health's Harrington Hospital. Just walking through the new unit, hospital leadership could feel the weight lifting off the shoulders of their nurses.

"We have currently a six-bed ICU," said hospital President Ed Moore. "It's at least probably 60 years old. Small rooms. We get the job done, but it's not the right facility, not the right environment for our caregivers to provide the best possible service."

Jessica Calcidise has seen firsthand the challenges of caring for patients in a hospital without enough beds. Now the chief nursing officer, she has cared for patients at Harrington Hospital for more than eight years.

What You Need To Know

  • Harrington Hospital celebrated the completion of a new state-of-the-art ICU and intermediate Step-Down Unit

  • The hospital says the $8 million expansion increases the capacity of the ICU, improves critical care outcomes, enhances the patient and family experience and better utilizes advanced clinical resources

  • Each of the new ICU rooms will have space to accommodate one or two visitors and allow a loved one to stay overnight  

  • The hope is to keep patients from the surrounding communtities close to their homes

"COVID really brought that to the forefront," Calcidise said. "We recognize that we didn't have adequate space to care for our critical patients."

The $8 million expansion had been discussed for nearly a decade. Moore says it will be coming online during a crucial time, describing it as the "winter crunch," with ailments like the flu, COVID and other respiratory illnesses running through the community.

"We had to treat some patients on medical surgical floors that should have been in an ICU," said Moore. "This will help us meet that need if it ever gets that bad again."

The facility also includes a step-down unit for those transitioning out of the critical care space. Pull-out beds will provide options for a family member or loved one looking to spend the night.

The goal is to keep patients close to home. For the benefit of not just them, but area hospitals.

"I mean, it's well known that Central Mass is under-bedded," Calcidise said. "So, the more beds that we can add to support our local communities so they don't have to go into Worcester and seek care from University or Memorial will help the overall care."

The new unit is on schedule to open next month. Hospital leadership says they're just awaiting state approval, which shouldn't be an issue.