An Electronic Publication of the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce
Inside this edition, you’ll discover the latest Chamber initiatives and success stories from across our region. From economic development projects and upcoming networking events to policy updates and workforce training opportunities, we’re keeping you connected to what matters most for your business and North Central Massachusetts.
June 2026
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The Baker administration on Tuesday night announced its adoption of new federal guidance governing isolation and quarantine periods for people infected with COVID-19 or exposed to the virus.
“The Department of Public Health is adopting updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) regarding isolation and quarantine periods for the general population, effective immediately,” said Department of Public Health spokesperson Katheleen Conti. “For the general public, this updated guidance shortens the recommended time for isolation and quarantine from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to 5 days, if asymptomatic, followed by 5 days of wearing a mask when around others.”
The CDC issued its updated guidance on Monday, saying the change was “motivated by science” demonstrating that the majority of COVID-19 transmission “occurs early in the course of illness, generally in the 1-2 days prior to onset of symptoms and the 2-3 days after.”
“The Omicron variant is spreading quickly and has the potential to impact all facets of our society,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Monday. “CDC’s updated recommendations for isolation and quarantine balance what we know about the spread of the virus and the protection provided by vaccination and booster doses. These updates ensure people can safely continue their daily lives. Prevention is our best option: get vaccinated, get boosted, wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial and high community transmission, and take a test before you gather.”
State public health officials said they are reviewing updated CDC guidance regarding isolation and quarantine for health care workers and “will have more to share soon.”
The adoption of the updated guidance comes as the state’s testing infrastructure is overwhelmed, with people waiting in long lines, stores running out of rapid tests, and the cost of tests creating additional obstacles. Infections are soaring and the numbers largely do not reflect cases confirmed through rapid tests.
With K-12 students on holiday break, Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley has not announced yet whether he will extend the state’s school mask mandate, which is scheduled to end on Jan. 15.
“The medical community’s asked for some additional time so that we have better facts on the ground. They’re learning a lot very quickly about the omicron variant. We’ll wait and see, and see what the situation looks like in early January for a decision,” Riley said on Dec. 17.
Several schools have met state vaccination thresholds and dropped their mask mandates, but state public health officials have also issued a general advisory recommending that people wear masks in indoor public spaces.
This Advisory has been updated as of December 21, 2021.
COVID-19 vaccines and vaccine boosters are highly effective at protecting against serious illness, hospitalization and death and every individual who is eligible and works, studies or resides in Massachusetts is strongly urged to get vaccinated and boosted. The Department of Public Health urges all eligible residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 because vaccination provides the most effective protection from severe illness associated with COVID-19.
In response to the spread of the Delta variant and the emerging Omicron variant, the Department of Public Health now advises that all residents, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask or face covering when indoors (and not in your own home). The DPH particularly urges this recommendation if you have a weakened immune system, or if you are at increased risk for severe disease because of your age or an underlying medical condition, or if someone in your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is unvaccinated.
Your primary care physician can advise you whether you are at increased risk. Information from the Centers for Disease Control regarding the conditions that may put you at increased risk can be found here:https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-with-medical-conditions.html.
All people in Massachusetts (regardless of vaccination status) are required to continue wearing face coverings in certain settings, including transportation and health care facilities. Please see www.mass.gov/maskrules for a complete list of venues where face coverings have remained mandatory since May 29, 2021.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s current mask requirement and Policy on Vaccination Rate Threshold issued on September 27th, 2021 is not impacted by this advisory. As a result of the most comprehensive and robust school testing program in the country, with 99% of public, collaborative and charter districts enrolled, Massachusetts elementary and secondary schools remain open and safe for children and youth to engage in learning, with over 325,000 school days saved. Only schools who can demonstrate they have high vaccination rates of over 80% of all individuals vaccinated are able to remove masks for vaccinated individuals upon a written attestation.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street, Boston, MA 02108-4619
For individuals who are not fully vaccinated, it is especially important that you wear a face covering or mask any time you are indoors and not in your own home to reduce the chance that you may spread COVID-19 to other people. People who show no symptoms of illness may still be able to spread COVID-19.
An individual is fully vaccinated two weeks after their second dose in a two-dose series, such as the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen vaccine. However, if a fully vaccinated individual becomes symptomatic, they should be tested and wear a mask until receiving test results.
When you wear a face covering or cloth mask, it should:
· Fit snugly but comfortably against the side of the face,
· Be secured with ties or ear loops,
· Include multiple layers of fabric,
· Allow for breathing without restriction, and
· Be able to be laundered and machine dried without damage or change to shape. For more information, please refer to the CDC at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated-guidance.html
This advisory may change based on public health data and further guidance from the CDC.
In North Central Massachusetts, we are fortunate to have three excellent health care organizations providing quality care and services to the more than 275,000 residents who call our region home. Even with their great reputation, our region’s hospitals are experiencing challenges with staffing shortages and retention, responding to the unique needs of an aging population and providing increased mental health services, all of which are compounded with a global pandemic. But, despite these challenges, our hospitals are rising above, providing unique opportunities for recruitment and retention while investing in their facilities and giving back to their communities.
In September, the North Central Massachusetts Chamber of Commerce released the results of our Regional Economic Development Plan, which placed health care as one of the top industries with a strong market to retain and expand toward the future.
“We certainly have market strength in the region,” said Steve Roach, President, HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital. “Health care is one of the most interesting business models because people will always need health care, but we are also at the mercy of an extremely tight labor market.”
Roach leads HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital, a full service, acute care 163-bed community hospital serving North Central Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire. He said the hospital is navigating the recent COVID-19 vaccine mandate, which is putting an already tight labor market to its breaking point. “We are looking at our staffing levels to ensure our nurses are performing at the top of their game and also researching alternative staffing models to provide the continuity of care the community expects and deserves from our hospital,” he added.
Nashoba Valley Medical Center employees
Even with the renovated Emergency Department opening in 2019, which resulted in a total of 42 beds up from 24 beds, Roach said the hospital is continually over capacity due to mental health cases in the emergency room waiting for a bed at another facility. “We will always be here to provide care to all of our patients, and we are working daily to resolve these challenges,” he said. “We want our patients to receive treatment and care as quickly as we can.”
Heywood Hospital is also experiencing staffing challenges; however, Winfield S. Brown, President and CEO, said the hospital has a variety of strategies in place to retain its dedicated staff and improve the overall health of the community despite the challenges from the pandemic.
A non-profit, community-owned 134-bed hospital located in Gardner, Heywood Hospital welcomed 60 new staff members in various roles in September and is also offering sign-on bonuses for certain positions. “We see health care as a growth market for the region and we are growing as a health care system while also identifying ways to improve economy and equality among our workforce,” said Brown.
In addition to being unique in size and geography, Brown said the hospital has relationships with local colleges and universities to provide development opportunities to current employees while also filling the talent pipeline for years to come. In fact, Mount Wachusett Community College (MWCC) partners with Heywood Hospital to provide 40 to 50 students a training ground for practicum in pharmacy and radiology technology. And, through a workforce development grant with MWCC, Heywood Hospital can have up to 20 employees who are interested in pursuing a clinical track for nursing obtain education at the college with clinical experience at the hospital.
For current employees, the hospital has a variety of strategies in place to retain staff, such as providing a robust award and recognition program and daily “huddles” for staff to check-in with each other. “We have the hardest working staff around and we need to make sure they feel appreciated, understood and heard,” said Brown. “We established a President’s Advisory Council to learn the staff’s pulse on the institution and we listen and then act to make sure our employees know we heard their feedback.”
Heywood Hospital also boasts a robust behavioral health services program, with 20 geriatric psychiatric beds and a partial outpatient program that provides up to 40 participants with mental health support. In November, the hospital received approval from the Public Health Council to begin construction of a new surgical pavilion, which will replace the existing operating room suite built in the 1960s. The pavilion will include six operating rooms, support state-of-the-art technology and provide an exceptional patient experience. “Our patients deserve first-class health care in a first-class facility,” added Brown.
Nashoba Valley Medical Center, a community hospital serving 16 communities in North Central Massachusetts, experienced tremendous growth this year as more people chose to obtain health care locally during the pandemic instead of going into the city.
Sal Perla, DrPH, President and CEO of Nashoba Valley Medical Center, said as the hospital experiences an increase in patient capacity, it is responding by growing its physician roster. “This year, we’ve expanded the Steward Medical Group in all of our locations,” said Perla. “We’ve recruited ten medical doctors this year, including a board-certified orthopedic surgeon, several new primary care physicians and several other sub-specialists.”
HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital community based initiatives
While the use of emergency room services increased by 11 percent in 2021, Perla said the hospital has the lowest wait times in the region, which he attributes to a website where those seeking care can check on current wait times in the emergency department. “We are so proud of our staff,” added Perla. “And our five-star patient satisfaction results on Google prove that we are creating sustainable care models that reinforce our dedication to quality of care.” In fact, Perla said approximately 25 percent of their patients hail from the Leominster and Fitchburg area. Perla is also thrilled to announce that Nashoba Valley Medical Center earned an “A” Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade for fall 2021. This national distinction recognizes the hospital’s achievements in protecting patients from harm and error in the hospital.
With a niche in physical therapy, the medical center welcomes approximately 100 patients a day to its aquatics center in Groton for total joint replacement therapy. Recently, Nashoba Valley Medical Center was recognized with a 5-star rating for treatment of hip fracture and pneumonia outcomes by Healthgrades, the leading resource that connects consumers, physicians and health systems. Additionally, the medical center reports that its GI center is performing colonoscopies and endoscopies within 1-2 weeks of initial requests which helps in the aid of detection of early stages of cancer.
Although the Regional Economic Development Plan reported that health care offers a variety of wages, with more than half of the 17,000 region health care workers paid less than $55,000 annually, Perla said the medical center instituted a minimum wage of $15 per hour in 2019.
As the aging population continues to increase in the region, all of the hospitals stand ready to provide care and services to keep individuals at home as long as possible. Nashoba is proud to offer a 20-bed geriatric-psychiatric inpatient behavioral/medical unit which addresses higher level of care for individuals with Dementia/Alzheimer’s associated disease.
Roach said HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital is well-equipped to respond to the needs of the aging population as the hospital operates HealthAlliance Home Health & Hospice (HAHHH), which aims to keep patients in their own homes. “We can offer a level of care, comfort and compassion and are available to assist 24/7 with physical and emotional support,” added Roach. “We want our community to age in home versus aging in nursing homes.”
Perla agrees. “We are learning about the future every day,” he said. “We want to make sure people can retire and live out their years where they want to be and need to be.”
In spite of the challenges and opportunities our hospitals must face now and in the coming years, all of the hospitals remain committed as engaged members of their respective communities.
Heywood Hospital ICU Nurses
At Heywood Hospital, Brown said they are dedicated to improving the health of the community, with special consideration of disadvantaged populations, by working collaboratively with community partners to increase prevention efforts, address social determinants of health, and improve access to care. Their Backpack Food Program supports more than 400 youth and their families with nutritious, non-perishable, easy-to-prepare food choices over the weekend. “The Backpack programs provide more than just food,” said Brown. “They also bring a sense of security economic empowerment, healthy food access and social inclusion for children.”
HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital recently invested more than $700,000 to fund community-based initiatives to support the urgent health challenges presented by food insecurity, substance abuse and workforce development. In 2019, the hospital also provided an investment of $750,000 in the Fitchburg Arts Community, a 62-unit mixed housing project on the site of the former BF Brown School in downtown Fitchburg to aid in the pre-development phase of the project.
And, as a public health doctor, Perla is giving back to the community through volunteering and expertise as an epidemiologist to local businesses and organizations to ensure a safe environment for social gatherinDgs during the pandemic. “As a public health doctor, my job is to improve public health above all else,” said Perla. “By providing risk assessments via surveys to help businesses thrive lowers the risk and establishes a comfort level and safe environment based on the survey feedback from the participants.”
The pulse of any community rests on the trust it places in its residents and institutions. Through calm times and crisis, North Central Massachusetts’ array of healthcare systems, administrators and physicians stand ready to keep that pulse alive and help it thrive. Their dedication and investment go far beyond business and hits at the heart of what makes this region a great place to live and work: people caring for people working together, not just to survive but to thrive.
Fore Then Pore: Golf Clinic, 9 Hole Play & End of Summer Bash
August 21, 2026
Golf Clinic, 9 Hole Play & End of Summer Bash
August 21, 2026
The Woods of Westminster
Event Start at 1:00pm View
Event
Sponsors Reception: Old Mill
August 26, 2026
Thank you to all our sponsors who help sponsor this past 2025-2026 program year! We are truly honored by your continued support and efforts to continue to make our community thrive! View
Event
Financial services leader moving from Leominster in response to growing market needs
Exchange Authority,a leading consultant and facilitator for Section 1031 exchanges and a wholly owned subsidiary ofFidelity Bank, today announced the relocation of its offices from Leominster to Worcester.
All Exchange Authority staff relocated to the Fidelity Bank banking center located at 465 Shrewsbury Street in Worcester, effective February 21, 2022. The organization will continue to offer the same services clients and referral sources have come to know and trust for more than 20 years and will continue to serve all 50 states and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
The move to Worcester comes on the heels of the Exchange Authority experiencing tremendous growth. In 2021, the organization realized a 30 percent increase in total exchanges, and a 48 percent increase in escrow receipts. The $226 million that flowed through the company in 2021 yielded a 37 percent increase in the average daily balance, ending the year with just over $51 million on deposit.
“While the decision to move from Leominster was a difficult one, this move will provide us with the opportunity to be closer to our clients and respond to growing market needs,” said John Peculis, President and CEO, Exchange Authority. “We believe this move better positions us to serve our clients and partners in the financial services industry and also presents the opportunity to work alongside colleagues at the newly-renovated Shrewsbury Street banking center.”
Fidelity Bank recently completed a state-of-the-art renovation at the Shrewsbury Street banking center which included new offices, an enhanced teller pod experience and upgrades with modernized technology.
Clinton Savings Bank (clintonsavings.com) has been selected to participate in the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston’s Equity Builder Program, which assists local homebuyers with down payment and closing costs as well as homebuyer counseling and rehabilitation assistance. The program provides grants to financial institutions to assist households at or below 80 percent of the area median income. Borrowers are eligible to receive up to $22,000 in assistance on a first come first served basis. Buyers must also complete a homebuyer counseling program. “Homeownership is not easily attainable for many households, so we are pleased to offer this assistance to help individuals and families purchase a home. Homeownership helps build wealth and create financial
stability, and programs that assist homebuyers can be effective in adding to the vibrancy of our communities,” said Debra Colonna, SVP/Retail Lending Officer, Clinton Savings Bank. Clinton Savings Bank is eligible to receive up to $220,000 in 2022 through the Equity Builder Program depending on availability of funds.
To learn more about applying for assistance, please contact:
The RCAP Solutions Board of Directors is pleased to announce the promotion of Brian D. Scales as Interim President & CEO of the organization. As previous Executive Vice President and proven leader within the organization, Mr. Scales succeeds Karen A. Koller, CAE, and assumes responsibilities on March 16, 2022. Ms. Koller is retiring from the organization after 21 years of service for health reasons, effective immediately.
“On behalf of the board, we are extremely grateful to Karen for her arduous work and dedication to RCAP Solutions over the past 21 years and we wish her the best on her retirement,” stated Laura McGee, Chair of the RCAP Solutions Board of Directors. “We are extremely excited to promote Brian to the role of Interim President & CEO of the organization. With his 14 years of service to RCAP Solutions and his strong experience within the organization, we are confident this transition will be a smooth one. We are looking forward to watching RCAP Solutions continue to grow under Brian’s leadership.”
Mr. Scales joined RCAP Solutions in 2008 with a diverse background in nonprofit development and strategic planning. During his 14 years with RCAP Solutions, he has gained extensive experience working in all aspects of program management and development and has built strong relationships with the organization’s diverse funders, partners and state and federal legislators. Mr. Scales has a distinctive understanding of the varied community and economic development challenges, making him uniquely qualified for his promotion to Interim President & CEO.
Mr. Scales received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Florida Atlantic University and a Master of Arts from University of Central Florida. He has also served on multiple nonprofit boards in the region as director and advisory board member.“I am thrilled to see Brian named as Interim President & CEO of RCAP Solutions,” stated Keith Ashby, Interim CEO of RCAP, Inc. “Brian has accomplished remarkable things in his many years at the organization and has become an outstanding leader within the national RCAP network. His understanding of rural community needs, paired with his extensive legislative work, and vast program and development experience makes him the ideal person to succeed Ms. Koller. I am confident that Brian will build upon the tremendous work that Karen has achieved in her 21 years as a resolute champion in supporting the needs of small communities and positively impacting underserved populations.”
RCAP Solutions is the northeast affiliate of the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP, Inc.), a national network of nonprofit partners with over 300 technical assistance providers across the country. RCAP works to improve the quality of life in rural America starting at the tap. RCAP Solutions provides services in all six New England states, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. RCAP Solutions is also the Worcester County affiliate of The Regional Housing Network of Massachusetts, which delivers progressive, affordable housing solutions and education to families and individuals in every community throughout the state.
RCAP Solutions services approximately a half million people each year with a wide array of environmental, housing, economic development, and education and training programs. About RCAP Solutions:
RCAP Solutions is an integrated community development corporation working with a multi-faceted suite of services in communities throughout the northeastern part of the U.S. and the Caribbean. Established in 1969 (as Rural Housing Improvement), RCAP Solutions has supported the power and potential of communities for over half a century as strategists of community-wide well-being. Our mission is to foster personal and public self-reliance and improve the quality of life for individuals, families, and the communities in which they live. For more information, please visit www.rcapsolutions.org.
Member Spotlight
Custom Cleaning Service of Peabody
When the workday ends and the lights go down, Custom Cleaning Service of Peabody, Inc. gets to work. “We operate as our clients’ silent partner after business hours,” says Adam Paicos, of Templeton, who now serves as Director of Operations and oversees the company’s expansion into North Central MA. “We are not often seen, but we ensure facilities are clean, secure, and ready for business each day while serving as the eyes and ears for our clients when they are not on site.”
Discover local business stories through our Inside North Central Massachusetts Podcast series. Listen as Chamber members share their journeys, insights, and contributions to our thriving regional business community.
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