Providence Behavioral Health Hospital

Providence Behavioral Health Hospital
Trinity Health Of New England
Providence Hospital, as seen from Main Street (US-5), 1970
Geography
Location	1233 Main St, Holyoke, Massachusetts, United States
Coordinates	42.165920°N 72.633928°W / 42.165920; -72.633928
Organization
Care system	Private
Funding	Non-profit hospital
Type	Community, Behavioral and Substance Abuse
History
Opened	November 7, 1873 (founded) December 17, 1892 (charter)
Links
Website	www.mercycares.com/providence_behavioral_health_hospital
Lists	Hospitals in Massachusetts

Providence Behavioral Health Hospital, formerly known as Providence Hospital, is a faith-based non-profit behavioral health and substance abuse medical center located in Holyoke, Massachusetts, providing non-emergency services. Founded in 1873 by the Sisters of Providence of Holyoke, Providence was originally the first full-service medical hospital in Holyoke, continuing until 1996 when it was converted to a psychiatric and behavioral health facility.^[1] In February 2020 the hospital announced it would cease all inpatient psychiatric services, citing a shortage of psychiatrists, effective June 30, 2020. The hospital will continue to maintain substance use disorder services as well as a methadone clinic.^[2]

The hospital's adjacent Catherine Horan Medical Building also houses medical practices,^[3] as well as the Holyoke branch of the Massachusetts Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.

History

The former House of Providence Hospital, which stood at the corner of Dwight and Elm St in downtown Holyoke served patients from 1894 to 1958

The hospital was first founded by the Sisters of Providence on November 7, 1873, in a small dwelling in South Hadley Falls to aid the sick and needy.^[4] In 1894 the Sisters opened a modern medical hospital in Holyoke on the corners of Dwight and Elm Streets, which also featured their residence on the top floor; the facility would serve more than 200,000 patients in its 64 years of use.^[1]

The hospital's facility in downtown closed in June 1958 following the opening of its current facility in the month prior.^[5] The former facility was razed in the following year and the land leased to the city by the Diocese for additional downtown parking.^[6] The hospital would maintain a full emergency staff with medical specialists, surgeons, and an intensive care unit until 1996, when it closed and began transitioning into a behavioral care facility.^[1][7]

References

1. "Providence Hospital 1873—1973". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. May 7, 1973. p. 32.
2. Phillips, Amy (February 28, 2020). "Providence Behavioral Health Hospital in Holyoke to discontinue inpatient psychiatric services". WWLP 22 News. Chicopee, Mass.
3. Flynn, Anne-Gerard (August 13, 2017). "Family physician enjoys continuity of care to generations". The Republican. Springfield, Mass.
   • "CHD's Community Support Program (CSP) to Open at Providence Hospital". Springfield, Mass.: Center for Human Development. December 7, 2017.
4. Liptak, Dolores Ann; Bennett, Grace (1999). Seeds of hope : the history of the Sisters of Providence, Holyoke, Massachusetts. The Sisters of Providence. OCLC 43637892.
5. "Old Providence Hospital Closed". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. June 23, 1958. p. 22.
6. "Old Hospital Coming Down". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. February 6, 1959. p. 4.
   • "New Parking Area". Springfield Union. Springfield, Mass. August 21, 1959. p. 3.
7. Hospital Closure: 1996 (PDF) (Report). US Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of the Inspector General. February 1998. p. C-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2017.Kinney, Jim (December 10, 2015). "Vincent J. McCorkle, former Sisters of Providence CEO, dies at 64". The Republican. Springfield, Mass.