WORCESTER, Mass. -We're getting a closer look at UMass Memorial Health's new North Pavilion Building. The facility, which is on the property of the former Beaumont Rehabilitation Center, looks to address ongoing bed shortage problems throughout the region.

UMass Memorial Health officially opening the North Point facility earlier this year. 72 additional beds will be available here, and hospital leadership is hoping this helps them better meet the needs of their patients because they say right now the entire state of Massachusetts is experiencing a bed shortage. 

"If you look at the number of beds per capita in Central Massachusetts, we have the lowest number in all of the state and we're also the fastest growing area of Massachusetts," said President and CEO of UMass Memorial Health, Dr. Eric Dickson. "So you add those two things together and what you see is long waits in the emergency department, an inability to get patients up to a bed."

Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll toured the inpatient, acute-care facility Tuesday alongside Dickson. The health system describes it as a place designed to provide cutting-edge medical care in a modern and patient-centric environment. On top of inpatients, the new facility will also have outpatient ct scans and ultrasounds.

Dickson saying the facility is already performing in the way they'd hoped.

"It's been unbelievable," he said. "In only a couple of months we've seen emergency department boarding go down. Patients leaving the emergency department without being seen has gone way down."

UMass Memorial Health also saying patient satisfaction for receiving care at the North Pavillion continues to improve along with their quality metrics.

There will be no emergency rooms at the North Point facility. Dr. Eric Dickson saying there will be code teams and they'll be on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week.