AYER, Mass. - A ‘For Sale’ sign remains outside the former site of Nashoba Valley Medical Center; now one year since the hospital closed. State Senator Jamie Eldridge said there’s still hope to improve health care for the area. 

“Yeah, it really does bring back a lot of bad memories now that it's after Labor Day," Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D) said. "The legislative delegation was informed by the Healey Driscoll Administration in June that the hospital was likely to close. We made an incredible effort to find another hospital bidder or network to buy the hospital; that did not succeed.”

Despite months of support and organizing by Nashoba Valley residents, hospital employees, and the Massachusetts Nurses Association, August 31, 2024 brought the closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center.

Eldridge said the move, which was spurred by financial mismanagement by parent company Steward Healthcare, has left a strain on first responders in the area with longer commutes to other hospitals, and some concerns and frustrations from residents.

“A lot of frustration, a sense that the Healey Driscoll administration could have taken stronger action," Eldridge said. "Whether providing more upfront state funding, been more aggressive with hospital bidders to get a deal done - as they did for virtually every other hospital in Massachusetts that was owned by Steward.”

Now, work continues to get more state funding for first responders and the permitting process continues on a potential new standing emergency facility run by UMass Memorial Health in Groton, the next town over.

“I really want to express my gratitude to Dr. Eric Dickson, who really was very committed to making sure to at least limit the damage of health care gaps from the initial without a medical center closing," Eldridge said. "So, that is one piece of news. I would also recognize it doesn't make up for the hospital closing.”

Eldridge said the Nashoba Valley closure raises a larger concern over the for-profit health care system as a whole in Massachusetts, but a silver lining for the area is Governor Healey’s recent sub budget signing which includes $5 million for Nashoba Valley communities to get funding for gaps in their health care.

And while remnants of the hospital which once welcomed patients remains in Ayer, the area is looking to the future.

“With the new Health and Human Services secretary, given the departure of Kate Walsh," Eldridge said, "we would love to see the secretary, other health care officials come out to the region, now that it's been a year, to have a closer dialog with constituents, with residents, with medical professionals.”

Sen. Eldridge said the Health Foundation of Central Mass. is also doing a lot of work to address gaps in health care. He added the hope is for conversations lead to next steps for dramatically improving the health care system as a whole for Nashoba Valley, beyond just the initial major loss of this hospital closing.