LYNN — Standing outside the brand new Mass General Brigham Healthcare Center late Tuesday morning, Dr. David J. Roberts acknowledged it was a different kind of ribbon-cutting ceremony than he envisioned.
Roberts, president of the North Shore Medical Center, kicked things off in typical COVID-19 fashion: by telling the small crowd of medical professionals, elected officials and stakeholders that he had received permission to take his mask off to deliver his remarks.
“It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to our reimagined ribbon-cutting ceremony,” said Roberts. “This is what it is in the COVID world. This (is the) beautiful new Mass General Brigham Healthcare Center. Given the constraints on gatherings, it certainly has been challenging to pivot to this new normal, but we thought it was important to be in person when this opens.”
The coronavirus not only thwarted plans for a more extravagant celebration for the new 41,000-square-foot medical village that is replacing the former Union Hospital, it also delayed the healthcare center’s opening by about three months, according to Roberts.
Initially slated to open this spring, the Brigham Healthcare Center will instead open its doors on Wednesday on the Lynnfield Street site after more than a year of construction. On Sept. 15, aside from the respiratory clinic, the remaining services in the former Union Hospital building will be moved over to Salem.
Housed in the center of the medical village is an expanded North Shore Physicians Group primary and specialty care practice, as well as urgent care, X-ray, ultrasound and additional imaging services, blood drawing and lab services, and outpatient behavioral health.
All staff and patients will adhere to universal masking, hand hygiene, social distancing and rigorous cleaning, according to North Shore Medical Center.
Roberts said the new building’s name reflects the new name and branding of Mass General Brigham, formerly known as Partners HealthCare. The branding, which is aimed at unifying all elements of the healthcare system under a single name, will be extended throughout North Shore Medical Center, including Salem Hospital and North Shore Physicians Group, he said.
The advantage of that unified healthcare system is that patients who need a higher level of care can be transported quickly to Mass General or Brigham hospitals, Roberts said, noting that has become particularly important during the pandemic.
“For residents of Lynn, your care might start coming through this door,” said Roberts. “It might end up going down the street to Salem Hospital. It might end up at the Brigham or the General, but once you enter one of these doors, you’re in our system, and we’re going to take exquisite care of you. And the anchor part of our organization are two of the best hospitals in the world.”
Despite the jovial feel of Tuesday’s ceremony, the events leading up to the opening of the new medical village have been more adversarial.
Plans to close Union Hospital and consolidate services to Salem Hospital, which were first announced by North Shore Medical Center/Partners HealthCare in 2015, were heavily opposed by residents and elected officials.
Opponents argued that not having access to a nearby hospital could mean the difference between life or death for some people. When Union Hospital closed last November, Lynn became one of the largest cities in the state without an emergency room.
Mayor Thomas M. McGee said members of both the City Council, particularly Ward 1 Councilor Wayne Lozzi, who was in attendance, and Lynn’s legislative delegation, were instrumental in advocating on behalf of residents for a “project to ensure that all of our healthcare needs in this community continued to be met.
“We worked hard to hold your feet to the fire and get as much as we could in this facility and will continue to work to ensure that this and the new facility in Salem continue to meet the needs of the residents of the city of Lynn,” said McGee.
“Being here today really marks a milestone, obviously a change from what was here, but really a state of the art urgent care center here is really exciting. And with the specialties here as well and the primary care, it really brings the services in our community that are important.”
The Mass Brigham HealthCare Center has been constructed on approximately one quarter of the Union Hospital campus. The remaining 15 acres will be redeveloped by local developer and Lynn resident David Solimine, Jr., who plans to build senior housing on the site.
North Shore Medical Center plans to turn the Union Hospital property over to Solimine, who attended Tuesday’s ribbon cutting, by Oct. 1.
