GREENFIELD — The two local Baystate Health trustees, Bob Pura and Tim Farrell, are trying to balance the concerns of Franklin County residents, while acknowledging moving local psychiatric hospital beds to a regional behavioral health hospital in Holyoke may be the best move for long-term mental health care in the Pioneer Valley.
They see this move as caring about the patients and their needs — especially in a changing health care world, where reimbursement figures have shifted and old models are no longer as feasible.
“It’s difficult to untangle the financial side of health care, whether it be at Baystate or anywhere else in the state, country, the world,” said Farrell, former head of Greenfield’s Selectboard and School Committee. “But I do know that is a top priority, and the number one priority of Baystate is patient care and patient outcomes.”
Last month Baystate Health announced its plans to close the mental health unit, East Spoke at Baystate Franklin Medical Center, along with its counterpart at the Baystate hospitals in Palmer and Westfield in the next two years in trade for a behavioral hospital in Holyoke. Local state lawmakers have cautioned the move, or least the public communication of it, as brash. The Massachusetts Nurses Associatonvehmently opposes the move.
“There’s no question the communication could have been better and needs to continue to get better,” said Pura, the recently retired president of Greenfield Community College. “The community needs to know the detail of the plans as it goes forward.”
Neither Pura nor Farrell said they were a part of the formal decision. Pura said he wasn’t aware of conversations about it and Farrell said he recalled passing discussions about the idea at past meetings but couldn’t recall specifically when. Farrell is in his third year as a trustee.
Before Baystate expressed formal interest in the Holyoke site, it formed B2 Health LLC with US Health Vest, which was registered with the state in November. The company put a $250,000 bid on a request for proposal for the Geriatric Authority. In February it was selected by city officials as the winner, beating out two others.
Farrell said Baystate is a big organization and sometimes decisions are made above the board level, which he said is typical of a company of that size.
“While we as board members are board members for the system, anytime there are changes that may occur in the communities that we live in, we want to be as involved as we possibly can be involved as a trustee,” Farrell said.
He said he’s looking forward to seeing how the needs of Franklin County are met
“Baystate tries to do their best at keeping as many services in Franklin County,” Farrell said. “One thing we remember is we are a part of a bigger system and we have access to great patient care and service throughout the system and sometimes it’s not in Greenfield specifically.”
Pura said he is awaiting more details of Baystate’s plans, but he hopes it could improve the services for residents.
“There are more questions than answers at this point,” Pura said. “We should all remain open and vigilant — open to the possibility that this does improve patient care and vigilant that voices in the community are heard.”
You can reach Joshua Solomon at:
jsolomon@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 264