Tufts Medicine and MelroseWakefield Hospital are proposing the development of a new, 144-bed, state-of-the-art behavioral health hospital at the former Malden Hospital site in partnership with Acadia Healthcare, the largest standalone provider of behavioral health services in the U.S.
What are the proposed plans for the redevelopment of the former Malden Hospital site?
How did you decide to bring behavioral health to the community?
The need for behavioral health beds in Massachusetts has reached critical levels. As health care providers and innovators, we are constantly looking for ways to ease these constraints. MelroseWakefield Hospital and Lawrence Memorial Hospital in Medford have been providing outstanding inpatient behavioral health care for decades, and the need for these services only continues to grow. This project stands to address capacity constraints, enhance care delivery, and provide much-needed services to patients of all ages for years to come. The facility will add 86 net new behavioral health beds to the Commonwealth.
Is this renovation of the current Malden Hospital building or new construction?
The redevelopment plans call for new construction of a new state-of-the-art hospital. The new hospital, which will have a smaller physical footprint and presence than the current Malden Hospital buildings.
- The current Malden Hospital site is comprised of 300,000 square feet with multiple buildings ranging up to five stories tall.
- The proposed new behavioral health hospital is one 99,000 square foot, one-to-three-story building.
What services will be provided in the new hospital?
This will be an inpatient behavioral health hospital caring for patients with behavioral health diagnoses such as depression, eating disorders, dementia, anxiety and others. These services were previously provided at the former Malden Hospital.
Although extremely important the hospital is not an addiction or recovery site, or a walk-in clinic. It will be permitted for hospital use.
Will there be an emergency department?
No. There is no emergency department at the hospital. There is an ambulance bay for the transportation of patients. Patients are referred for admission by other providers, such as primary care physicians and area emergency departments.
Who is the joint venture between?
This hospital will be the result of a joint venture between Tufts Medicine, MelroseWakefield Hospital, and Acadia Healthcare.
Acadia Healthcare is the nation’s largest stand-alone behavioral healthcare service provider with a commitment to patient-and family-centered care, strong clinical outcomes, and a proven track record of collaborating with health systems across the country to meet the particular needs of the community. Although Acadia is a provider of many services this joint venture is for hospital services.
What is the cost of this project?
This project represents a $65 million investment in the community by Acadia Healthcare.
What is the impact on the community?
We have been engaging the community about what they hope to see as part of the redevelopment at the 18.6-acre, former Malden Hospital site, which has been vacant for more than two decades.
Consistently we heard:
- redevelopment that provides greater open space, is less dense, has less impact on traffic, and is more in line with the aesthetics of the neighborhood
- seeing the site return to health care use.
We are pleased that our plans are in line with these preferences. Redevelopment at the site will also set aside more than nine and a half acres for conservation/open space for the cities of Malden and Medford. As this project moves forward, we remain committed to engaging the community and participating in a thorough, transparent regulatory and local review process.
If you have questions, please email community@melrosewakefield.org. You can also sign up for e-mail notifications below.
If you have questions, please email community@melrosewakefield.org. You can also sign up for e-mail notifications below.