Your Health, Our Commitment – Building a Healthy Community

The Baystate Health Board of Trustees and Senior Leadership recognize the impact on health, health care, and economic development in Ware and surrounding communities following the consolidation of services at Baystate Wing Hospital and the closure of Baystate Mary Lane Hospital. The difficult decisions and resulting actions were not entered into without significant governance and leadership dialogue. Over the past ten months with new leadership at Baystate, we have discussed the challenges and potential paths forward for health care in the region. We have also had to honestly and transparently recognize that the health care environment is extremely challenging now and is expected to be over the next decade.

In February 2025, Kaufman Hall, a national healthcare financial insights company, reported that 37% of the hospitals in the country were losing money. Nationally, 50% of hospitals with less than 50 beds are losing money. There have been nine hospital closures in 2025 through the end of March. In the first quarter of FY2025 in Massachusetts, 55% of hospitals reported negative operating margins, meaning they incurred more expenses than revenue. While Baystate Health is making significant progress in ensuring its long-term financial resilience and has recently affirmed its A+ rating with Fitch, we still have a long path ahead in our imperative transformation.

At our Board meeting on Tuesday, April 8, we had another vigorous dialogue given recent developments in Ware. We worked toward and approved specific actions in a formal vote. We would like to transparently share our decisions on next steps here.

We are disappointed by the recent actions to rezone the Baystate Mary Lane campus in Ware. It was not a vote for health care. Instead, the vote altered the rules that govern how Baystate’s property can be used, developed, or built upon today and in the future. The rezoning was not in the best interest of health, health care, and the Town of Ware. Since the closure of inpatient beds at Baystate Mary Lane nine years ago, no health care organization outside of Baystate Health has delivered on bringing health care services to Ware. No one has a plan and viable actions to rekindle health care in Ware and no one will for the foreseeable future. If there is to be health care in Ware, we strongly believe Baystate Health is the solution.

We are deeply discouraged by the petition moving to town vote on June 2 to take Baystate’s property in Ware by eminent domain for a two-year period. We have shared our consequential and specific concerns in writing with the Town of Ware in advance of the vote. Baystate is prepared to heartily challenge the constitutionality, legality, and practicality of the proposed taking.

We are committed to continued dialogue and partnership with state and town officials to find real solutions to real problems. Consistent with the Baystate Health 2030 strategic plan, we will continue to invest in and enhance clinical services at Baystate Wing Hospital. In January 2025, Baystate committed to developing a primary care (up to three providers) and convenient care (after hours and weekend care) presence directly in Ware, not on the Baystate Mary Lane campus. We are actively engaged with our working group – inclusive of the area’s State Representative, Ware Town Manager, Ware Hospital Committee Chair and Ware Selectboard Chair - to identify and start development of sites.

Our commitment to primary and convenient care comes at a significant ongoing annual expense (i.e. this is not a profitable or even breakeven venture). No health care organization can deliver direct care in Ware that doesn’t come with ongoing annual losses. The continued and consistent support of the Gilbert Trust to Baystate will be imperative to make this commitment a reality. We are also actively working with Bank of America (which holds the Gilbert Trust funds), the Attorney General’s Office and other community organizations to put forward a proposal that meets the intent of the Gilbert Trust. Without continued and consistent funding from the Gilbert Trust, Baystate’s primary and convenient care center in Ware will not be possible.

Last October, we put a pause on demolition activities of the six separate buildings on the Baystate Mary Lane campus to allow parties to find alternate uses for the site and for our dialogue with officials to gain momentum and build trust. We understand that some abatement actions moved forward that were not endorsed by Baystate senior leadership. We apologize for those actions and have taken appropriate measures to ensure improved communication. Unfortunately, there has been no movement on campus alternatives during this six month pause. There are serious safety, fire hazard, and other issues impacting the community with the campus that need to be addressed expediently. Baystate is moving forward with full abatement of the campus’ six buildings consistent with approvals from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Due to the extent of the issues on the campus, abatement will, again, look very much like demolition. Once abatement is completed, we will be working with the Town of Ware to proceed with demolition of the campus. Baystate is committed to minimizing, wherever possible, the impact on the Weatherby Building which has meaning to both Baystate and the Town of Ware.

We understand that our difficult decisions to make health care in Western Massachusetts financially resilient may not always be popular, and our past actions have caused friction with key stakeholders in the community. Baystate Health is firmly committed to health care and health in Ware and surrounding communities by continuing to invest in clinical services at Baystate Wing Hospital and with the continued and consistent support of the Gilbert Trust to address true community needs. We will continue to engage in meaningful, forward-moving dialogue, pursue collaboration and seek compromise to find the right solutions for both Ware and Baystate.

-Baystate Health