The city council in Medford, Mass. approved the construction of an ASC on the campus of Lawrence Memorial Hospital Oct 15, according to local news site WickedLocal Medford.
The $16 million ASC is a joint venture between Shields Health Care Group, the Tufts Medical Center Physicians Organization in Boston and MelroseWakefield Healthcare in Melrose, Mass. Physicians practicing at the ASC will specialize in gastroenterology, orthopedics and otolaryngology. Now that the project has been approved, MelroseWakefield will work to gain construction permits.
MelroseWakefield Healthcare originally proposed to build the ASC in January 2018. Local residents voiced concerns about the new ASC at city council meetings, citing ambiguity about the tax revenues the project would bring in for the community, as well as opposition to a parking garage eventually being built on the site.
“I support establishing the ASC for a number of reasons,” City Council President John Falco told WickedLocal Medford. “I believe that the center will provide high quality outpatient surgical service, as well as other important services to the community. The ASC will also provide living wage jobs and tax income to the city.”