GARDNER, MA – In response to the ongoing humanitarian needs hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico, Heywood Healthcare has sent out a shipment of needed medical supplies. 

Employees packed supplies on Tuesday, loaded them into a truck and delivered them to the staging area at Tufts University. Supplies are expected to reach Puerto Rico by early next week. 

Win Brown, President and CEO of Heywood Healthcare made connections with healthcare leaders from Puerto Rico a few years ago while traveling in the region. “As soon as my friends reached out to me, I knew Heywood could help,” shared Brown. “Items we have so readily available at our hospitals - bandages, gauze, alcohol wipes, even toothbrushes - the residents of Puerto Rico desperately need these items, and they need them now. We’re happy to help in any way we can.”

Once the supplies arrive in Puerto Rico they will be transported to the Department of Health, and then distributed to area hospitals.

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About Athol Hospital
A member of the Heywood Healthcare system, Athol Hospital is a 25-bed non-profit, acute care and outpatient facility serving the communities of the North Quabbin region of Massachusetts. Athol Hospital’s services include 24/7 Emergency Care, Oncology, Radiology and Laboratory, Diabetes Center and Center for Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation. It is designated as a Critical Access Hospital and Primary Stroke Center, licensed by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and accredited by the Joint Commission.

About Heywood Hospital
A member of the Heywood Healthcare system, Heywood Hospital is a 134-bed acute care hospital in Gardner, MA, which provides a broad range of high quality medical, surgical, obstetrical, pediatric and behavioral health services on an inpatient and outpatient basis. The hospital’s Centers of Excellence include the Watkins Center for Emergency and Acute Care; the LaChance Maternity Center; the Diabetes Center; and the Heywood Heart and Vascular Center, an affiliate of the Heart and Vascular Center of Excellence at UMass Memorial Health Care.

About Heywood Healthcare
Heywood Healthcare is an independent, community-owned healthcare system serving north central Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. It is comprised of Heywood Hospital, a non-profit, 134-bed acute-care hospital in Gardner, MA; Athol Hospital, a 25-bed not-for-profit, Critical Access Hospital in Athol, MA; the Quabbin Retreat in Petersham, MA; and Heywood Medical Group with primary care physicians and specialists located throughout the region. The organization includes six satellite facilities in MA; Heywood Rehabilitation Center and Heywood Urgent Care in Gardner; West River Health Center in Orange; Winchendon Health Center and Murdock School-based Health Center in Winchendon; Heywood Charitable Foundation; the North Quabbin Community Coalition, an affiliate organization; and The Quabbin Retreat in Petersham.