In preparation for a surge in COVID-19 patients as early as April 7, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Barker outlined a plan to designate some long-term care hospitals in the state as COVID-19 treatment facilities.
The first nursing home to be designated is Beaumont Rehabilitation and Skilled Nursing Center in Worcester, which will provide the state with about 300 beds after it moves current patients out.
The governor also signed an executive order to speed the onboarding of healthcare volunteers who signed up to help the state manage the pandemic. Since the state launched the initiative, more than 1,800 volunteers have signed up.
The governor signed another executive providing financial relief to the state's healthcare providers. It allows the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services to offer health systems, hospitals and other providers rate adjustments, supplemental payments and new payment methods to cope with the expected revenue drop from the COVID-19 pandemic.