Industry Insight: Healthcare

The Western Mass Economic Development Council (EDC) serves as a pivotal catalyst for growth and progress in western Massachusetts. Our mission is to provide services and resources that foster thriving companies in the region, enhancing the local economy and lifestyle by generating quality jobs and attracting public and private investment.

While our work encompasses a diverse range of businesses, we have identified twelve of the largest industries in western Massachusetts. These include Aerospace, the Creative Economy, Entrepreneurs (small, growing, and start-up companies), Financial Services, Information Technology, Life Sciences, Manufacturing, Medical Devices, Plastics, Renewable Energy, Tourism, and Healthcare.

Our INDUSTRY INSIGHT series delves deeper into these leading sectors. Last month, we explored Financial Services, and this month, our focus is on healthcare.

WHY HEALTHCARE?

Healthcare stands as a cornerstone of western Massachusetts' economy, with many of the region's major employers being hospitals and health care systems. Boasting over 50,000 workers, nine hospitals, and 100 clinics or related facilities, healthcare is the largest private industry in Western Massachusetts and a primary economic driver for the region.

A LEADER IN THE INDUSTRY

In this Industry Insight, we spotlight Baystate Health, the largest healthcare organization in western Massachusetts and a powerhouse for economic growth in the area. Baystate Health's integrated healthcare system includes:

• Baystate Medical Center: a teaching hospital and the region’s only level 1 trauma center
• Baystate Children’s Hospital: the region’s only accredited, full-service children’s hospital
• Three community hospitals
• A network of more than 80 medical practices
• Health New England, a health insurance provider
• Home care and hospice services
• Comprehensive regional laboratory and diagnostic services

Renowned for its commitment to healthcare excellence, Baystate Health's recent annual report showcases its significant impact:

• Serving over 800,000 people throughout western New England, with more than 980 beds across their five hospitals
• Over 1.8 million outpatient visits, including comprehensive sick and preventive care
• Over 180,000 emergency visits
• More than 37,000 surgeries performed
• More than 4,000 babies born at Baystate Health hospitals

THE PAST & THE PATH FORWARD

Established with the founding of Springfield Hospital in 1883, Baystate Health has provided high-quality and compassionate healthcare in the Pioneer Valley for over 140 years. Evolving into the largest healthcare organization in the area, Baystate Health remains dedicated to its mission of improving community health with quality and compassion.

Baystate's commitment to progress is evident in the “Hospital of the Future” – a nearly $300 million project that, although altered by various economic challenges and an international health crisis, has continue to progress forward. Most recently, in 2023, the project advancement included opening:

• 24 new operating rooms equipped with advanced technology, up to and including, a phone app alerting friends and loved ones waiting on the patient’s progress from pre-op to recovery.
• Eight procedure rooms, including four cardiac catheterization labs
• Eighty preparation and recovery bays
• A revamped hospital entrance with new reception and waiting areas

This project, along with the completion of Valley Springs, a $72 million inpatient behavioral health hospital in Holyoke, reflects their ongoing dedication to advancing healthcare infrastructure.

IMPACT IN WESTERN MASS (and beyond)

Baystate Health's influence extends beyond healthcare delivery in many ways. They actively shape strive to enrich the lives of those in the community through:

Community Impact: Programing intended to extend healthcare beyond hospital walls is part of their goal to make healthcare accessible to people across the region. This commitment to advancing the health and well-being includes initiatives such as supporting community-based organizations, developing programs to help prepare our young people for future success, and advancing early interventions in wellness and nutrition.

Economic Impact:

• Local Procurement: Striving to support the local economy, when possible, services and products are chosen from close to home. For example, during the most recent phase of the “Hospital of the Future,” of the construction professionals who worked more than 600,000 hours to complete the project, 62% lived within 15 miles of the hospital, 78% live within 30 miles, and 98% live within 60 miles.
• A ‘Force’ in the Region’s Workforce: As an employer of nearly 13,000 team members it is hard to not know someone (or many someones) who work within Baystate. They not only pride themselves on being an economic driver through employment but do so with a diversity promise committed to creating an inclusive environment to meet the community’s needs with cultural competence and compassion. As a result, the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) has recognized Baystate Health as a national leader in providing inclusive and equitable healthcare.
• Commitment to Development: Baystate continues its commitment to economic growth and development in our region, as seen by the participation of Sam Skura, President, Baystate Medical Center & Senior Vice President, Hospital Operations, Baystate Health on the EDC’s Executive Committee as Second Vice Chair.

MEDICAL EDUCATION TRAINING & RESEARCH

Baystate Health’s history as an academic health system began more than a century ago with its involvement in medical education and research. Examples of their vital role in healthcare workforce education today include:

• Robust Residency and Fellowship Programs: Hosting around 800 medical students, residents, and fellows, as well as over 1,200 nursing students and residents, Baystate Health cultivates the next generation of healthcare professionals.
• Academic Innovation: Serving as the regional campus of the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Baystate Health trains caregivers, ensuring the region has a skilled healthcare workforce for years to come.
• Area College & University Partnerships:  Health professional students attending Elms College, Westfield State University, American International College, Western New England University, and the community colleges in Greenfield, Holyoke and Springfield can obtain their clinical hours.
• Innovative Opportunities: External funding provides opportunities for Baystate faculty to deliver innovative services, and conduct clinical, translational and health services research. Their Clinical Trials Unit enrolls and supports patients participating in studies of new treatments.

NODS OF RECOGNITION

Baystate Health's commitment to excellence is underscored by numerous recognitions in patient safety, clinical quality, innovation, and community outreach. There are too many achievements to name them all, but a few highlights include:

• Health System CEO Influencer: Mark Keroack, MD, MPH, President and CEO of Baystate Health, recognized for his commitment to optimizing healthcare.
• Magnet® Designation: for nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes
• American Hospital Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) Awards: for quality stroke care
• Nurse Residency Accreditation: for practice transition programs
• Accountable Care Organizations Certification: for patient-centered care and addressing health inequities
• Mass Save Climate Leader Award: for efforts in energy conservation and sustainability

WHAT IS NEXT?

Baystate Health remains dedicated to progress and growth in the healthcare industry, as evidenced by:

• Leadership Transition: Welcoming Peter D. Banko as the new president and CEO, Baystate Health continues its legacy of transformative leadership.
• Anchor Collaborative: Founded by the Western Mass EDC in 2021, in partnership with Baystate Health, the mission is to foster equitable communities by putting each anchor’s purchasing and hiring power to work for diverse businesses. Baystate will continue this commitment, encouraging other anchors to do the same. In addition, Baystate Health previously worked with the EDC and Common Capital to build a diverse business mentorship pilot that “on- ramps” local vendors and grows their business with Baystate. The pilot, which now serves as a model to grow other local, diverse vendor contracts within Baystate and other anchors, will continue to be a priority.
• Technology & Healthcare: Baystate Health remains at the forefront of industry advancements, with plans to embrace technology-driven changes and strengthen partnerships with local institutions. This includes supporting the EDC’s “New Industry Sectors Subcommittee”, led by John Cook, PhD, President, Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), which aims specifically in 2024 on technology changes in the Healthcare sector, along with others such as Education and Advanced Manufacturing.

CONCLUSION

Baystate Health's impact resonates from the patient bedside to the classroom to the workplace and beyond. As not only a keystone of our region but also a national leader in healthcare, they embody a commitment to advancing community health and well-being with quality, compassion, and innovation.

In addition, the Western Mass EDC is proud to have these Healthcare Industry Members:

• Health New England
• Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA)
• Trinity Health
• Golden Years Homecare Services

For more about the Healthcare industry and industry resources, visit our website.

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Sources include: 

https://www.baystatehealth.org

https://www.baystatehealth.org/-/media/files/about-us/baystate-health-fast-facts-2022.ashx

Baystate Medical Center ‘hospital of the future’ project opens operating rooms, heart, brain procedure rooms of the now