“MHA and our members are looking forward to a close partnership with Dr. Goldstein as his work at DPH gets underway.

“This is a critical time for public health, especially as we continue to address the widespread impacts of the pandemic, accelerate our focus on health equity, and strengthen the foundation of preventative care that keeps patients healthy before they reach hospital doors. Dr. Goldstein’s experience and proven leadership within some of the highest levels of public health make him an outstanding choice to help lead the commonwealth on these priorities.

“We are also grateful for the leadership of Commissioner Margret Cooke, who has been a true partner for hospitals and health systems, as well as a consummate advocate for patients, over the past year.”Across Massachusetts and the country, ERs, ICUs, and hospitals are nearing full capacity. COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly with the accelerated spread of the Omicron variant and caregivers have been through a long and difficult 22 months. Throughout the pandemic many with behavioral health needs have suffered without the resources needed for the care they need. MHA and GQR are addressing these urgent needs throughout the state with rapid deployment of nearly 200 mental health clinicians and 1,800 other clinicians, who will provide much-needed immediate assistance during this crisis, and by supporting MHA’s members with structured contingent plans for staffing shortages across the state.
 
MHA serves as the voice for the hospitals and health systems throughout the commonwealth, and has been at the nexus of the system’s pandemic response. MHA remains committed to providing staff and resources to its members as this staffing shortage and the COVID-19 crisis persist. This requires partnerships on several levels to ensure the health systems can sustain the surge of patients and take care of the communities they serve. 
 
“We need to provide relief to the staff and healthcare systems as they grapple with the greatest set of challenges since the pandemic began,” said MHA Senior Vice President of Government Advocacy and General Counsel Michael Sroczynski. “This partnership with GQR Healthcare will provide immediate assistance to health systems across the state, helping them to continue providing first class care across Massachusetts.”
 
GQR Healthcare is an innovative and fast growth staffing leader specializing in large scale rapid deployment of healthcare professionals. GQR has an established market presence and a proven track of partnering with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for the past 22 months,  assisting those in hospitals, long term care, or nursing homes that were hit hardest.  The entire team at GQR is extremely grateful to be able to make an impact on the communities MHA members serve on daily a basis. 
 
“We are delighted to partner with MHA but we are most excited to be able to serve the people of Massachusetts in their times of need. Our people continue to rally together and outperform with an absolute commitment to excellence. Partnering with MHA brings our mission to improve quality of care and patient outcomes through our extensive high quality candidate network to Massachusetts.” said Steven Talbot, CEO.
 
Together, MHA and GQR will look to tackle the staffing and COVID-19 crisis in the near-term while providing sustainable solutions for the long-term. Through this latest set of pressures, the patients and communities of Massachusetts will continue to come first.