TRUMBULL — Hospital officials and others testified Tuesday that the sale of St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport to Hartford Healthcare would benefit both organizations.
The public hearing, which took place before the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy at the Trumbull Marriott, drew around 40 people, including leaders and employees from both hospitals and community members.
It was part of the state’s Certificate of Need program, which requires some health care providers to obtain state approval before making major changes such as mergers, acquisitions, changing access to services or discontinuing a medical service.
“Our priority is the integrity and transparency of this process,” said Michaela Mitchell, attorney for the Office of Health Strategy, before opening the hearing to testimony.
The proposed sale of St. Vincent’s by its current owner Ascension, the nation’s largest nonprofit health system, to Hartford Health was announced roughly a year ago. But St. Vincent’s had been looking for a partner for some time, said Dawn Rudolph, the hospital’s president and chief executive officer, during her testimony.
Rudolph said the hospital has faced many challenges in recent years, including the loss of many primary care physicians to retirement and other factors. Fewer doctors meant the hospital had to serve fewer patients.
“Despite our best efforts, we struggled to keep pace,” she said.
Rudolph said Hartford Healthcare was specifically selected as a partner because it was the best equipped to, among other things, provide the hospital with more resources.
Meanwhile, Hartford Healthcare CEO Elliot Joseph testified that adding St. Vincent’s to its network would both...
from News https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/Officials-say-St-Vincent-s-Hartford-deal-good-13808106.php
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