June 7, 2022
A Message from Drs. Michael Tarnoff and Kevin Churchwell for the
Tufts Medicine Integrated Network, including primary and specialty care
physicians, practice administrators and other Network leaders
Dear Community:
As you know, Tufts Children’s Hospital will be closing its inpatient pediatric beds on July 1. We’re writing to give a brief update on the status on our work together to ensure a smooth transition for our staff, our patients and their families.
We have said since the initial announcement back in January that Tufts MC intends to retain pediatric primary and adolescent care, medical and surgical specialty clinics, our Asian Access Clinic, our Center for Children with Special Needs (CCSN), and our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The Tufts MC pediatric emergency room in Boston will stay open and we will also continue to perform pediatric day surgeries and procedures. The inpatient pediatric program at Lowell General Hospital and emergency room access for children at both Lowell General and MelroseWakefield Hospital will continue unchanged.
The majority of Tufts Medical Center’s pediatric faculty have opted to join the Boston Children’s Hospital Network Foundation where they will continue their long-standing service to the children and families of eastern Massachusetts. Others have elected to move on in their careers and we wish them all well. We want to assure you that we are jointly committed to the patient populations we serve in Boston, Chelmsford, Lawrence, Woburn, Lowell, Brockton and Metrowest. While specialty coverage of clinics in these locations in the short term may change due to faculty departures, we are actively hiring new physicians into the Network Foundation to work in these locations and provide the high level of service for which our families have grown accustomed. Our long-term vision and our commitment to providing access to pediatric subspecialties in these communities is as strong as it has ever been. In fact, we visited leadership and clinical teams at Brockton Hospital last week and will visit Lawrence General Hospital this week to directly reaffirm this commitment.
Tufts Children’s has been notifying patients as decisions are made about their specific subspecialty programs. To date, about one-third of Tufts Children’s Hospital families who utilize one of our specialists have received this information and we plan to communicate with all our pediatric patients and their families in the next week. We will update you shortly with specific plans for coverage, as well as give phone numbers for patients and their families to call for assistance at both Tufts and Boston Children’s. We will also offer a provider access line to assist with referrals and BCH admissions.
We are proud of all our team members who are increasingly working together to assure that this transition is smooth and that all needs are met. Change is never easy but you have our ongoing dedication to work through each and every problem that arises to build the right solutions for the future.
For the Tufts Children’s Hospital community, please join us on Monday, June 27th at 4pm on the Plaza Level of Tufts Children’s for a special commemoration. The ceremony will be a chance to honor current staff and all those who have made an impact on young lives and families throughout the hospital’s 128-year history.
Thank you for your patience and your support.
Sincerely,
