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An Update on The Quabbin Retreat

December 21, 2018

Recent headlines and articles in both the Athol Daily News and Greenfield Recorder erroneously lead readers to believe the Quabbin Retreat is closed, and that Heywood Healthcare is abandoning its commitment to behavioral health and addiction services.  Absolutely nothing could be further from the truth. The two papers' stories are not accurate and are misleading. In fact, the Quabbin Retreat is open and active.

Let us, the owners of the Quabbin Retreat, set the record straight. In this season of neighborliness and giving, it is important that poorly placed rumors and innuendo being bandied about be put to rest. Our citizens and patients deserve better than this kind of unpleasant behavior, which serves absolutely no one.  

The fact is The Quabbin Retreat is open and operational.  This includes the McLean Hospital's Adult Residential Treatment Program (Naukeg at Prescott), Outpatient Counseling services, and a robust and innovative Tele-behavioral Health Program that provides clinical services to students at Mahar, Narragansett and Athol High Schools. The only change on the campus is that the Dana Day Intensive Outpatient Treatment (IOP) program has been temporarily relocated to the Heywood Hospital Campus in Gardner.  This short-term change will allow Heywood to address frustrating delays in obtaining contracts with several key insurers and to adjust the program's licensure. Patients from this region who attend the IOP have free transportation five days a week to Heywood Hospital's campus for services during this interim period. For the convenience of our community partners, referring physicians and patients, access to the IOP remains the same, including the referral process and telephone number.

When the IOP returns to the Quabbin Retreat campus mid-winter, it will be joined by additional behavioral health and addiction programs and treatment options, offering even greater access to our region's residents seeking care.

As Heywood Healthcare forges into the next phase of development of services at the Quabbin Retreat, we believe taking this time to reorganize our services well-positions Heywood to continue providing the highest quality of care for our patients now, and well into the foreseeable future.

Demonstrations of Heywood Healthcare's deep commitment to our communities include serving as the fiscal agent for the North Quabbin Community Coalition; financial support and management of school-based youth and family care coordination programs in the Athol, Gardner, Templeton, Winchendon, and Orange School Districts; the provision of a new Walk-In Service open seven days a week co-located with Tully Family Medicine in the North Quabbin Commons Plaza; the construction of a new $19 million Emergency Department and Medical Office Building at Athol Hospital; and innovative Community Health Improvement strategies under development that will further support our region's most marginalized populations, addressing food insecurity and resources for youth exposed to violence and trauma.  

As always, Heywood Healthcare remains fully-committed to addressing the behavioral health and addiction needs of our region, providing access to high-quality care and addressing the social and economic determinants of health that most-adversely affect our community.

This holiday season, let us all focus on what is truly important - the health and well-being of our communities.

In good health,

Win Brown
President & CEO
Heywood Healthcare