A healthcare provider in western Massachusetts says it has picked a spot for a new facility - part of an effort to replace the hospital it previously closed in Hampshire County.
With more details to come at a town select board meeting Tuesday, Baystate Health says it plans to open a convenient care office in Ware.
The healthcare provider announced Monday it will likely occupy a former pet supply store off West Street.
The news comes less than a year after Baystate started demolishing much of the Baystate Mary Lane Hospital campus it once operated in the town of 10,000.
The hospital was acquired by Baystate 35 years ago, but was closed in 2023. Many of its services were moved to Baystate Wing Hospital in Palmer, about 10 miles away.
Mary Lane's closure and demolition led to outcry among residents, who protested the loss of the century-old hospital. It's also led to debate over access to and use of the hospital's trust fund, which Baystate is the beneficiary of.
