Gardner, MA – December 14, 2020 – Heywood Hospital was awarded an ‘A’ in the Fall 2020 Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, a national distinction recognizing Heywood Hospital’s achievements protecting patients from harm and providing safer health care. The Leapfrog Group is an independent national watchdog organization committed to health care quality and safety. The Safety Grade assigns an ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’, ‘D’ or ‘F’ grade to all general hospitals across the country and is updated every six months. It is based on a hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections and other harms to patients in their care.

 

Win Brown, President and CEO of Heywood Healthcare said, “We are incredibly proud to receive this national accolade.  We strive to provide an exceptional care experience for every patient and their family everyday, without exception. We are also tremendously proud of the care provided at Heywood Hospital’s LaChance Maternity Center, recognized as a Newsweek’s Best 2020 Maternity Care Hospital.

“We are extremely grateful to hospital leadership and health care workers who have remained steadfast in prioritizing patient safety as our nation battles COVID-19,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “This ‘A’ is a testament to the care and commitment of those who work for Heywood Hospital. With the current pandemic exposing existing flaws within the U.S. health care system, we appreciate you putting patient safety first. Lives depend on it.”

 

Developed under the guidance of a national Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses up to 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign grades to more than 2,600 U.S. acute-care hospitals twice per year. The Hospital Safety Grade’s methodology is peer-reviewed and fully transparent, and the results are free to the public.

 

Heywood Hospital was awarded an ‘A’ grade today when Leapfrog updated grades for Fall 2020. To see Heywood Hospital’s full grade details and access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit hospitalsafetygrade.org and follow The Leapfrog Group on Twitter y Facebook.

 

About The Leapfrog Group

Founded in 2000 by large employers and other purchasers, The Leapfrog Group is a national nonprofit organization driving a movement for giant leaps forward in the quality and safety of American health care. The flagship Leapfrog Hospital Survey and new Leapfrog Ambulatory Surgery Center (ASC) Survey collect and transparently report hospital and ASC performance, empowering purchasers to find the highest-value care and giving consumers the lifesaving information, they need to make informed decisions. The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade, Leapfrog’s other main initiative, assigns letter grades to hospitals based on their record of patient safety, helping consumers protect themselves and their families from errors, injuries, accidents and infections.

 

About Heywood Hospital

A member of the Heywood Healthcare system, Heywood Hospital is a 134-bed acute care community-owned non-profit hospital in Gardner, MA, providing a broad range of high quality medical, orthopedic, bariatric, surgical, obstetrical, pediatric and behavioral health services on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The hospital’s featured Centers include the Center for Weight Loss & Bariatric Surgery. the Watkins Center for Emergency and Acute Care; the LaChance Maternity Center; the Diabetes Center, and the Heywood Heart and Vascular Center.

 

About Heywood Healthcare

Heywood Healthcare is an independent, community-owned healthcare system serving north central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. It is comprised of Heywood Hospital, a 134-bed acute care community-owned non-profit hospital in Gardner, MA; Athol Hospital, a 25-bed not-for-profit, Critical Access Hospital in Athol, MA; Heywood Medical Group, with primary care physicians and specialists located throughout the region; and the Quabbin Retreat, our premier destination for treatment of mental health and substance misuse.

The organization includes six satellite facilities in MA: Heywood Rehabilitation Center & Heywood Urgent Care in Gardner, Winchendon Health Center & Murdock School-based Health Center in Winchendon, Tully Family Medicine and Walk-In Care in Athol; and West River Health Center in Orange. The organization also includes the Heywood Healthcare Charitable Foundation. For more information, visit www.heywood.org.

FITCHBURG, Ma., November 30 – Workers Credit Union has received the 2020 Spirit of North Central Award for Corporate Leadership of the United Way annual campaign. During the United Way’s Annual Meeting held  earlier this fall, Workers was honored along with three other local businesses.

The award recognizes corporate partners that embody an overall spirit of giving through contributions of time, leadership and resources in support of United Way of North Central Massachusetts’ work. The recipients demonstrated excellence during a particularly challenging time through robust volunteerism and participation in the United Way workplace campaign. Each year, Workers Credit Union employees participate in the United Way in a variety of ways: payroll contribution, Day of Caring volunteerism, and employee-led fundraisers throughout the year.

“Receiving this award from the United Way is a testament to our employees’ dedication to the community and the overall culture here at Workers Credit Union. Each year, we are able to collectively donate thousands of dollars to support the important work of the United Way and help build a stronger North Central Massachusetts. I am proud to work with such caring people,” said Doug Petersen, president and CEO of Workers Credit Union.

“It’s more important than ever to support our local organizations to ensure they can continue to provide relief to the community,” said Tim Smith, Chief Financial Officer of Workers Credit Union and Vice Chairman of the Board at the United Way North Central Massachusetts. “We hope other businesses will join us in sponsoring the United Way for the 2020-2021 campaign year.”

Donations toward the United Way of North Central Massachusetts can be made at www.uwncm.org.

Workers Credit Union, a $2 billion federally-chartered credit union headquartered in Fitchburg, MA, is a member-owned financial institution with full banking services to meet a lifetime of financial needs, including the Workers Way™ and the GiveBack program. With branches in Athol, Chelmsford, Fitchburg, Gardner, Groton, Hudson, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Orange, Townsend, Westford and Worcester as well as online, mobile, telephone, and video-teller banking, Workers proudly serves more than 106,000 members.

Move Aims to Help Businesses during the Covid-19 Pandemic

GARDNER – November 10^ta, 2020 – Gardner Mayor Michael J. Nicholson is pleased to announce the City of Gardner is suspending fees for liquor licenses for Gardner businesses that apply for on- premise consumption liquor licenses for the 2021 calendar year.

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, businesses across the City have been forced to adapt to a difficult and ever changing set of circumstances. This was particularly hard for businesses in the restaurant industry that had to close for a portion of the year due to regulations put in place to curb the spread of the virus. It is Mayor Nicholson’s hope to lessen the burden these businesses are facing by temporarily suspending food and liquor license fees.

“I would like to sincerely thank Mayor Nicholson for finding new ways for the City to help alleviate the small business crisis precipitated by the pandemic,” said Rick Walton, owner of Gardner Ale House and Moon Hill Brewing Company “For so many of us, the cash flow just isn’t there; waiving the liquor license fee helps a lot.”

Under Massachusetts General Laws, fees for liquor licenses are set by vote of the License Commission. This group of three individuals are appointed by the Mayor with approval by the City Council. Mayor Nicholson presented the commission with his proposed order suspending these fees for the coming year at their meeting on November 10^ta, and they voted unanimously to endorse the Mayor’s proposal.

“This has been a tough year for everyone in the City, particularly for our restaurants who had to close and then were only able to operate on a take-out basis for the majority of this past year. This has only been exacerbated by the cooler temperatures causing many locations to end their outdoor seating option” said Mayor Nicholson. “We are taking this move to help our local businesses get back on their feet and get through this pandemic even with the challenges that we are facing. Thank you to the License Commission for voting to approve this proposal, and I look forward to seeing how it can help our businesses during these trying times.”

Liquor license applications run annually with the calendar year with the License Commission voting to approve applications during the month of December. This proposal would only be in effect for the 2021 calendar year. “I think this is a great way for us to be able to help businesses who have been struggling,” Michael Fitzsimmons, chair of the Gardner License Commission said during the meeting.

Twenty-seven businesses in Gardner annually apply for liquor licenses- including restaurants, social clubs, cafes, and other food establishments across the City. This waiver does not extend for licenses for off- premise consumption, as those establishments were able to remain open during the COVID-19 shut down.

LEOMINSTER, MA – The Board of Directors of Leominster Credit Union (LCU) voted to appoint John W. Reedy, as a director.

Prior to his appointment to the board, Reedy has served on the LCU Advisory Committee and also as an LCU Board member from 1999 to 2011.

“John will be a great addition to the Leominster Credit Union Board of Directors. His skills, involvement with the Advisory Board and his experience as a prior Board Member will be a valuable asset to our community and our members,” stated Chairman of the Board Giulio Greco.

Reedy is a Certified Public Accountant in Harvard, MA and a graduate of University of Scranton, PA. He is involved with the Woodlands Homeowners Association as part of their Finance Committee and the Treasurer of the Clinton Republican Town Committee. Reedy currently resides in Clinton, MA with his wife Helen.          

Princeton, MA, November 5, 2020 – NEADS World Class Service Dogs launched its virtual NEADS Market for the holidays. The NEADS Market is a one-stop shop that features a curated mix of creative and unique products from local makers, artists, and designers including:

• Handmade gifts and designer wares,
• Candles, soaps, throws, pillows, and other home goods
• Bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry,
• Dog treats, toys, leashes, collars, and other accessories
• Men’s and women’s clothes and accessories

Thanks to the generosity of participating vendors, 15% of all purchases go to support NEADS World Class Service Dogs.

“Since 2015, NEADS has hosted Get Dressed. Give Back, a cocktail reception fundraiser that included pop up shops offering a unique and varied selection of clothing, jewelry, and items for the home from local designers and boutiques. Although it looks a little different this year, we’ve brought the same concept to our online market – a unique, curated mix of products from local businesses and other specialty vendors,” says Cathy Zemaitis, NEADS Director of Development. “By moving the market online, we can expand our reach to people across the country, showcase local businesses and specialty vendors, and support our mission of changing lives, one World Class Service Dog at a time.”

Visit the NEADS Market at https://market.neads.org.

About NEADS Inc.        

NEADS Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization located in Princeton, Massachusetts. Established in 1976, NEADS offers the widest array of Service Dog programs in the industry, including Service Dogs for adults and children with a physical disability, Service Dogs for veterans, Service Dogs for Hearing, and Service Dogs for children with autism or other developmental disabilities. NEADS dogs are also partnered with professionals in classroom, therapy, hospital, ministry, and courthouse settings. For more information, please visit neads.org.