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Page 8 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, February 17, 2023 AGREEMENT | FROM PAGE 1 ed tasks, it now puts the City of Malden solo in the driver’s seat as to acquiring and then determining exactly how that land will be used. There is also the major part of the task’s equation to deal with: the actual cost in dollars of the acquisition. Hogan said that while the actual acquisition cost of the 6.7-acre open space land is not yet determined – after a direct question on that price tag by Ward 4 Councillor Ryan Gerry D’Ambrosio Attorney-at-Law Is Your Estate in Order? Do you have an update Will, Health Care Proxy or Power of Attorney? If Not, Please Call for a Free Consultation. 14 Proctor Avenue, Revere (781) 284-5657 O’Malley – he added that the intention of city officials is to secure funding for the new parcel through grants. Hogan said the work has already begun in identifying potential grant sources that would fuel the city’s acquisition of the pledged parcel. “There was a Plan A and now there is a Plan B,” Hogan told the City Councillors Tuesday night. “Regardless of the plan we use, we will get to the same finish line in a very open and transparent way.” The former Malden Hospital site – located at the top of Hospital Road off Fellsway East and overlooking Fellsmere Pond – is a 9.6-acre tract of land which includes the long-vacant hospital building and parking lot. After having served the residents of Malden and beyond for over 100 years, Malden Hospital closed in 1999, and the last of any health care-related operations there ceased in 2004. For nearly 25 years: What to do with Malden Hospital site? For nearly all of now nearly 25 years since the Malden Hospital closed, two Malden mayors and many City Councillors and other city officials have grappled with the question of what to do with the vacant building and site, which is the largest yet-to-be-redeveloped parcel of land in the city of Malden. That is why it is considered a major – and very much welcomed – breakthrough, when it was announced this past July that Tufts Medicine, the latest iteration of the former Hallmark Health, and Acadia Healthcare Company have formed a joint venture to build a new, $65 million behavioral health facility in Malden. The 144-bed inpatient hosOur 50th Anniversary Dan - 1972 We Sell Cigars & Accessories! Chris 2023 * Travel Humidors * Desk Top Humidors * Many Types of Lighters * Ash Trays * Juuls * Vapes * Glass Pipes * Rewards Program * CBD Infused Products * GIFTS UNDER $30 - GIFT CERTIFICATES R.Y.O. TOBACCO & TUBES ON SALE! NEW STORE HOURS: Mon. - Sat.: 9AM - 6PM Sunday & Holidays: 9AM - 5PM --------HUMIDORS ON SALE! STARTING AT $99. COMPLETE! --------WINTER WARM-UP SPECIALS SAVE UP TO 35% on all Boxes in Stock. Why Wait?!! Get Your Favorite Now! PLUS A FREE GIFT A.B.C. CIGAR 170 REVERE ST., REVERE (781) 289-4959 Tufts Medicine and Acadia Healthcare are leading health care providers in their local, regional and nationwide fields T ufts Medicine is a leading integrated health system bringing together the best of academic and community healthcare to deliver exceptional, connected and accessible care experiences to consumers across Massachusetts. Tufts Medicine is comprised of Tufts Medical Center of Boston, branch medical facilities in other Greater Boston communities, Lowell General Hospital, MelroseWakefield Hospital of Melrose, Lawrence Memorial Hospital of Medford, an expansive home care network and a large integrated physician network. Tufts Medicine has more than 15,000 dedicated care team members providing more than 1.5 million patient experiences per year. The health system is the principal teaching affiliate for Tufts University School of Medicine. Tufts Medicine came together in 2014 to leverage the experience of its member organizations and integrate their missions to together transform the ways that consumers engage with and experience their care. For more information about Tufts Medicine and its future, visit tuftsmedicine.org. **** pital will be constructed on the site of the former Malden Hospital. The planners of the new hospital facility have stated that this would be a teaching hospital. As first announced at the start of last summer, the facility will make inpatient behavioral health services accessible for people of all age groups in the Greater Boston area with services that will include both inpatient and intensive outpatient behavioral health care programs. About 9 acres of land designated for open site A key piece of local interest in the proposed project is that it will also dedicate about 9 acres of land for conservation and open space to support the adjacent Malden and Medford communities. (See separate story.) The split would be approximately 6.7 acres of designated open space land for Malden and 2.3 acres for Medford. Hogan on Tuesday night noted that Malden’s portion would Headquartered in Franklin, Tenn., Acadia Healthcare was established in January 2005 to develop and operate a network of behavioral health facilities across the country. Acadia provides psychiatric and chemical dependency services to its patients in a variety of settings, including inpatient psychiatric hospitals, specialty treatment facilities, residential treatment centers, outpatient clinics and therapeutic school-based programs. Acadia Healthcare’s mission is to create a worldclass organization that sets the standard of excellence in the treatment of specialty behavioral health and addiction disorders. Acadia is a leading provider of behavioral healthcare services across the United States. As of June 30, 2022, Acadia operated a network of 246 behavioral healthcare facilities with approximately 10,800 beds in 39 states and Puerto Rico. With more than 22,500 employees serving approximately 70,000 patients daily, Acadia is the largest stand-alone behavioral health company in the United States. For more information, please visit www.acadiahealthcare.com. be adjacent to its existing land tract called Fellsmere Park and Fellsmere Pond and is a “flatter piece of land the approximate size of Trafton Park or Amerige Park.” It would be used as “some sort of open space programming for the community,” Hogan said. The Malden strategy officer said Medford officials had already declared that their designated acquisition of land would be 100% conservation land, added to existing land that serves as a natural buffer zone between residential areas and the hospital site. At the time the project was first announced, Tufts Medicine President and CEO Michael Dandorph said, “There is a critical need for capacity in behavioral health in the Commonwealth.” “Our plans to redevelop the Malden Hospital site into a state-of-the-art behavioral health hospital will help adAGREEMENT | SEE PAGE 11

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