Cooley Dickinson was founded in 1886 through a bequest from a Hatfield farmer, Caleb Cooley Dickinson (Amherst poet Emily Dickinson's fourth cousin, twice removed). As a locally governed, not-for-profit community hospital, Cooley Dickinson provides convenient, personalized care.

Cooley Dickinson Hospital offers a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services at its main campus in Northampton as well as a variety of outpatient services at locations throughout western Hampshire and southern Franklin counties. To better meet the needs of residents living east of the Connecticut River, the Amherst Community Outpatient Center at 170 University Drive offers x-rays, ultrasound, mammography, childbirth/parent education, physical and occupational therapy, behavioral health counseling, and laboratory services. Facilities offering a variety of services are also located in Easthampton, Hadley, Florence and South Deerfield.

The hospital features an extremely well-qualified medical staff, a highly skilled and compassionate nursing, professional and support staff, and is fully accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.