Press Release: 12/19/2025

Nashoba Valley communities receive $5 million in grants for EMS

 

The Healey-Driscoll administration announced on Dec. 16 that it is distributing $5 million in grant funding to 13 municipalities in the Nashoba Valley region to support emergency medical services.

The funding, intended to support the communities in the aftermath of Steward Health Care’s closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center, is part of $10 million in a recently enacted fiscal 2025 supplemental budget to support EMS statewide.

The $5 million in grant funding will be used to reimburse Nashoba Valley municipalities for extraordinary EMS costs through June 30, 2027. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health used data submitted by each of the fire department-based ambulance services in these communities to examine changes in call volume and call times in the year after the closure of the medical center and arrived at funding allocations based on the impacts.

The 13 EMS providers receiving an initial base allocation of $100,000 are: Ashby Fire/EMS, Ayer Fire Department, Boxborough Fire Department, Devens Fire Department, Groton Fire Department, Harvard Ambulance Service, Leominster Fire Department, Littleton Fire Department, Lunenburg Fire Department, Pepperell Fire Department, Townsend Fire-EMS Department, Shirley Fire Department, and Westford Fire Department.

The remaining $3.7 million will be allocated proportionally, determined by changes in EMS call volume and increases in EMS transport time to the nearest emergency department.

The administration said the DPH’s Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management used EMS data and engaged with area fire chiefs to better understand the region’s priorities and administer the funding.

“The closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center disrupted access to care and created serious strain on the health care system across the Nashoba Valley,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein in a prepared statement. “We are listening closely to the concerns of area residents and emergency service providers, and we are using their firsthand experiences to drive decisive action and sustained support for this community.”

Gov. Maura Healey also convened a working group to collect community feedback, and the group submitted a report last spring.

Earlier this year, Healey and the Legislature made $5.7 million available to support emergency responder staffing in certain communities. The administration also made available $2 million for the eight most heavily impacted area ambulance services for EMS infrastructure improvements as they faced increased strain on their systems and equipment. This funding was used for purchasing ambulances, new EMS and communications equipment, and repairs of existing equipment in Ayer, Devens, Groton, Harvard, Littleton, Pepperell, Shirley and Townsend.