Springfield: Health Care

The health care needs of Springfield residents are met by three major medical facilities in the city and more than a dozen acute care facilities in western Massachusetts. The Baystate Medical Center, one of the state's largest hospitals, is a teaching hospital affiliated with Tufts University and UMass Medical School. It features a state-of-the-art neonatal intensive care unit and is the only tertiary care referral medical center serving the western portion of the state. Baystate encompasses a Children's Hospital, the Wesson Women & Infants Unit, and the D'Amour Center for Cancer Care. The Shriners' Hospital for Children, operated by the Melha Temple, specializes in children's orthopedics, extensive outpatient services, and research into orthotics and prosthetics. The 226-bed Mercy Hospital, one of three general community hospitals operated in the Pioneer Valley by the Sisters of Providence, is a full-service healthcare facility.

Health Care Information: Baystate Health System, 280 Chestnut St., Springfield, MA 01199; telephone (413)794-0000

Housing one of the world's most extensive weapons collections, the Springfield Armory, now a national historic site, was established in 1794.