Blumenthal Calls on OHS to Reject Closure of Labor & Delivery Unit at Sharon Hospital

[HARTFORD, CT] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal today sent a letter to the Office of Health Strategy asking them to reject the application of Vassar Health Connecticut/Nuvance Health to close the labor and delivery unit at Sharon Hospital.

Vassar Health Connecticut/Nuvance Health has applied for a termination of the Certificate of Need (CON) for labor and delivery services at Sharon Hospital—citing a declining demand for these services. In the letter, Blumenthal writes that the health care system has an obligation to provide comprehensive health care services including critical labor and delivery services to people in Northwestern Connecticut.

“This fight is ongoing in other rural areas of Connecticut and across the nation.   Rural areas by their nature are not densely populated and therefore the delivery of health services may not be as lucrative as in urban centers. However, people must have safe and easily accessible health care no matter where they live,” Blumenthal wrote.

According to a 2021 study by the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, people in rural counties are two to three times as likely to die of complications related to pregnancy than their counterparts in urban areas. This is in part because of a lack of hospital obstetric services to provide emergency services, as well as prenatal and maternal care prior to delivery.

“OHS must stop these health care moves that are based on economic interests rather than health care needs. OHS must reject the proposed termination of Sharon Hospital’s CON for labor and delivery needs,” Blumenthal wrote.

A full copy of the letter can be found here.

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