By JULIE CUNNINGHAM
(Greenfield, MA) Greenfield Cooperative Bank has made the largest donation in the bank’s history to Baystate Franklin Medical Center for the new Department of Family Medicine, a University of Massachusetts Medical School – Baystate affiliated program. The $75,000 donation will be part of $4.2 million in funding to welcome new medical interns to a three year training program at Baystate. A total of 12 interns will eventually be selected. Four new family physicians will be training the students and residents.
“The new Department of Family Medicine is going to be the key to the future of Baystate Medical Center. On behalf of our entire team and the patients we serve throughout or region, we thank Greenfield Cooperative Bank for helping us create a program that not only will help provide much-needed healthcare services, but will be a real pride point for our entire community,” says Ron Bryant, President Baystate Franklin Medical
Center/Northern Region.
The first floor clinic area and the second floor academic area are anticipated to be completed in 2023 and 2022 respectively. The four new medical interns will be welcomed in 2022.
“Our Board of Directors was very excited to hear about this innovative program that will improve healthcare for all ages from infants into old age,” says Greenfield Cooperative Bank President Anthony Worden. “GCB believes in the importance of readily accessible primary care for everyone in Franklin County and the North Quabbin region. We are very proud to support Baystate Franklin Medical Center’s new program, which will not only meet the basic healthcare needs of our communities, but also train new primary care physicians. We see this project as having a real impact on the health of our entire community.”