Good Neighbors of Groton: UMASS Memorial Medical Center at Nashoba Valley
A new neighbor. A major investment in our region. And emergency care closer to home.
As GrotonFest Fall approaches, our Good Neighbor Campaign is introducing some of the businesses and organizations whose support helps make our community festival possible.
But this campaign is about more than recognizing sponsors.
It is also an opportunity to get to know the organizations that are investing in Groton, supporting the people who live here, and becoming part of the fabric of our community.
And one of Groton’s newest neighbors is preparing to do exactly that.
UMass Memorial Health is building the new UMass Memorial Medical Center at Nashoba Valley at 490 Main Street in Groton.
The new facility is expected to open in early 2027 and will bring 24/7 adult and pediatric emergency care back to the Nashoba Valley region.
WHAT EXACTLY IS BEING BUILT IN GROTON?
You may have driven past the construction on Main Street. But what will actually be inside?
The new UMass Memorial Medical Center at Nashoba Valley will be a satellite emergency facility.
Unlike a traditional hospital emergency department, a satellite emergency facility is freestanding rather than attached to a hospital. However, UMass Memorial says the Groton facility will be equipped to handle the same urgent health concerns as a traditional hospital emergency department. It will not have inpatient beds or a full hospital on site.
The new facility is planned to include:
24-hour, seven-day-a-week emergency care
Adult and pediatric emergency services
16 emergency care rooms
Laboratory services comparable to those available in a traditional emergency department
Certain imaging services
Mental health-safe treatment rooms
A helipad for emergency helicopter transport
Doctors, nurses and emergency equipment will be available to treat a wide range of injuries, serious illnesses and other urgent medical needs. When a patient requires surgery or another higher level of care, the medical team will arrange transfer by ambulance or helicopter, depending on the situation.
WHY GROTON?
Perhaps one of the most important parts of this story is why this facility is being built here.
The closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer in 2024 left a significant gap in access to emergency healthcare across the region. UMass Memorial Health launched the UMass Memorial Medical Center at Nashoba Valley after considering issues including existing healthcare availability and EMS transportation times.
And the decision wasn't made in isolation.
UMass Memorial has been working with regional fire and EMS chiefs and members of the Nashoba Valley Health Planning Working Group throughout the process. The organization says local fire and EMS leaders have been part of the decision-making and that this collaboration will continue as the facility moves toward opening.
For local residents, the new facility is centrally located for easy access when every minute counts. When you're talking about emergency care, proximity matters.
BECOMING PART OF THE COMMUNITY
Being a good neighbor isn't simply about moving into a community.
It's about joining it.
That's one reason we're especially pleased to welcome UMass Memorial Medical Center at Nashoba Valley as a sponsor of GrotonFest Fall 2026.
Before its doors have even officially opened, UMass Memorial is showing up in our community and supporting an event that brings neighbors, families, businesses, and local organizations together.
The organization has also emphasized that community partnership is central to the development of the new facility.
UMass Memorial Health at GrotonFest Fall 2025
It is also working with local organizations, including the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority (MART), as it considers transportation challenges affecting residents throughout the region.
And there may be opportunities for local employment as the center prepares to open. UMass Memorial says new clinical and nonclinical positions will be posted as staffing plans are developed.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD NEIGHBOR?
Throughout our Good Neighbor Campaign, we're asking what it really means to be a good neighbor.
Sometimes it's supporting the festival where your community gathers.
Sometimes it's collaborating with local organizations and public safety leaders.
And sometimes it's making a long-term investment in something a community genuinely needs.
For UMass Memorial Health, all three are beginning to come together here in Groton.
We are grateful to have UMass Memorial Medical Center at Nashoba Valley as a sponsor of GrotonFest Fall 2026, and we're excited to welcome them as one of Groton's newest neighbors.
Thank you, UMass Memorial Health, for supporting GrotonFest Fall—and welcome to the neighborhood.
LEARN MORE
Have questions about the new medical center, the services it will provide, or the plans for the Groton location?
Read UMass Memorial Health's Medical Center at Nashoba Valley FAQ
GrotonFest Fall's Good Neighbor Campaign celebrates the businesses and organizations whose sponsorship helps make our community festival possible. Follow along as we introduce more of the neighbors behind GrotonFest Fall 2026.
