Holy Family Hospital Haverhill Satellite Emergency Facility

As part of our continued effort to strengthen care across the Merrimack Valley and build a more unified, mission-driven regional health care system, Lawrence General Hospital and Holy Family Hospital are proposing changes at Holy Family Hospital’s Haverhill campus.

• The Haverhill campus is not closing.
• 24/7 emergency services will continue without interruption.

The Haverhill campus is a vital part of our regional care system; focused on meeting the needs of patients throughout the Merrimack Valley. 

To better align services with community needs and make the best use of shared resources across our hospitals, Lawrence General/Holy Family Hospitals have submitted a request to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. If approved, the request would allow the Haverhill campus to focus on emergency care, behavioral health, and outpatient services, and discontinue inpatient medical/surgical care.

Currently, the Haverhill campus averages nine inpatients a day on its general medical/surgical units. These patients can continue to receive safe, high-quality care at our Methuen and Lawrence campuses.

Refocusing services will allow us to direct more resources toward areas of greatest need, including emergency care, inpatient behavioral health, and outpatient and ancillary services.

We will continue to provide inpatient adult and geriatric behavioral health services in Haverhill. We are also investing in specialized services on campus, including our hyperbaric medicine and wound care program, which recently added two new hyperbaric chambers, and the development of a comprehensive sleep medicine center.
This request will go through a public review process. If approved, the changes would take effect on October 1, 2025.

As we plan for the future, we follow three guiding principles:

1. Do our plans meet the current needs of patients and the community?
2. Do they support the clinicians who provide that care?
3. Are we delivering care effectively and efficiently?

The proposed changes at Holy Family Hospital Haverhill are guided by these principles and informed by the work of the Eastern Merrimack Valley Workgroup, a task force formed in October 2024 after Lawrence General Hospital and Holy Family Hospital came together. Led by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the group included state and local leaders and was charged with identifying opportunities to strengthen access to high-quality, sustainable health care in the region. Their insight has played a key role in shaping our integration efforts.

This proposal builds on progress already made, such as unifying our system under one electronic medical record, improving care coordination and continuity.

We will continue to offer inpatient adult and geriatric behavioral health services at the Haverhill campus. We’re also investing in specialized services, including our hyperbaric medicine and wound care program, which recently added two new hyperbaric chambers, and advancing the development of a comprehensive sleep medicine center.
In addition, outpatient radiology services at the Haverhill campus will continue.

Full 24/7 emergency care will remain at Holy Family Hospital Haverhill.

We see our Haverhill campus as a vital part of a regional system of care for the Merrimack Valley. Our plans are designed to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our patients, that the skilled and compassionate clinicians that deliver that care are supported, and that care continues to be provided effectively, efficiently.

As part of the proposed transition of general medical/surgical inpatient services to Holy Family Hospital Methuen and Lawrence General Hospital, we are required to update the licensure of the Haverhill Emergency Department to a Satellite Emergency Facility (SEF).

(See: “What are the proposed plans for Holy Family Hospital Haverhill?” and “What is a Satellite Emergency Facility (SEF)?” FAQs.)

The inpatient medical/surgical unit at Holy Family Hospital Haverhill will be phased out due to low utilization (an average of 8-10 patients daily). Inpatient care will be provided at our Methuen and Lawrence campuses.

As required by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the emergency department at Holy Family Hospital Haverhill must then be relicensed as a Satellite Emergency Facility. There will be no changes in the emergency services provided.

What is Changing?

• The inpatient medical/surgical unit at Holy Family Hospital Haverhill will be phased out due to low utilization (an average of 8-10 patients daily). Inpatient care will be provided at our Methuen and Lawrence campuses.
• As required by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, the emergency department at Holy Family Hospital Haverhill must then be relicensed as a Satellite Emergency Facility. There will be no changes in the emergency services provided.

What is a Satellite Emergency Facility (SEF)?
A SEF is a facility that is not attached to a full-service hospital or medical facility. It is equipped to handle all the same emergency needs as an emergency department. Key facts:

• A Satellite Emergency Facility (SEF) operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• It accepts ambulances and walk-in patients.
• Provides diagnostic lab and imaging services.
• Staffed by trained emergency medicine professionals.
• Complies with all federal emergency care regulations, including EMTALA (Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act).

Is a Satellite Emergency Facility a real emergency department?
Yes

Where will the SEF be located?

• The SEF will be located at 140 Lincoln Ave, Haverhill, MA, 01830, in the same exact location that the Holy Family Hospital Haverhill Emergency Department is today. 

What kind of care will I receive at the SEF?

• The SEF will offer the same emergency care currently provided at Holy Family Hospital’s Haverhill emergency department for serious injuries and illnesses. 
• It will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and staffed by doctors, nurses, and other experienced clinicians. 
•  The SEF will also have the same equipment and resources as a traditional emergency department.
• If you need to be admitted to the hospital, the SEF will arrange your transfer to the location that best meets your needs, including Holy Family Hospital Methuen, Lawrence General Hospital, or a tertiary provider. 

Who pays for transfers?

• We will follow existing billing processes for patient transfers. There will be no charge for transfers to either of our other campuses in Methuen or Lawrence. 

What lab and radiology services are provided?

• The SEF will have the same lab and radiology services as a traditional emergency department. 
• Additionally, outpatient radiology services will remain at the Haverhill campus. 

When Should I Go to the SEF? 
Visit the SEF for life-threatening symptoms or injuries:

• Chest pain, shortness of breath, signs of stroke or heart attack or other urgent symptoms
• Accidents, sever cuts, broken bones, head injuries or high fevers
• Mental health crises

Call 911 for life-threatening emergencies.

How is it determined where a patient will go for emergency care by ambulance?
The decision is based on established EMS protocols.

What services will still be available at Holy Family Hospital Haverhill?

• 24/7 Emergency Care (SEF)
• Inpatient Adult & Geriatric Behavioral Health Services
• Outpatient Radiology
• Wound Care & Hyperbaric Medicine
• Coming Soon: Comprehensive Sleep Medicine Center

Will you still provide for behavioral health patients?
Yes, we continue to have adult inpatient behavioral health services at the Haverhill campus.

When are these changes happening.
The request for these changes is under review by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. If approved, changes will not occur until Oct. 1, 2025.

You have options as to where to receive your care depending upon your needs. 

If you are not experiencing life-threatening symptoms, call your primary care provider, obstetrician or pediatrician. They may offer advice, an appointment, or direct you where to go. They are best positioned to care for your chronic conditions, mild symptoms of cold, flu, allergies, questions about medications, and referrals to nonemergency specialty care.

Go to the emergency care facility or call 911 if you experience the following:

• Trouble breathing
• Facial drooping or weakness in an arm or leg (signs of stroke)
• Chest pain or signs of a heart attack
• Sever bleeding 
• Seizures
• Head trauma/head injury
• Sudden acute headache/dizziness
• Major broken bones
• Coughing or vomiting blood
• Sudden confusion, disorientation
• Severe abdominal pain
• Swallowed a foreign object
• Severe burns
• Poisoning or severe allergic reaction

Call your doctor’s office or visit an Urgent Care center for the following:

• Cold, flu, allergies, sore throat
• Ear pain/headache
• Muscle or body aches
• Nausea/vomiting
• Upset stomach or diarrhea
• Minor cuts
• Pink Eye
• Urinary tract infection
• Minor Injuries like minor bone fracture, strained muscles, sprains
• Mild allergic reactions (rashes or itching)
• For minor injuries, x-rays and stitches

• Continue to visit this page at www.lawrencegeneral.org/SEF_FAQ. Updates will be posted as information becomes available.