Blumenthal, Murphy, & Hayes Call on OHS to Reject Plan to Close Sharon Hospital ICU

[HARTFORD, CT] – U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Jahana Hayes (D-CT) today submitted comments calling on the Office of Health Strategy to reject a plan to close the Sharon Hospital ICU.

“We strongly urge rejection of Vassar Health Systems’ (Nuvance) application to reduce the medical services provided at Sharon Hospital. While we understand the challenges facing the operation of rural hospitals in Connecticut, reducing or eliminating a wide range of critical acute care services at the one hospital within reasonable driving distance of many residents in Northwest Connecticut is untenable,” wrote Blumenthal, Murphy and Hayes. “The Office of Health Strategy must ensure that Sharon Hospital remains a mainstay of medical care for the sparsely populated section of Connecticut. OHS must carefully and critically scrutinize the application and consider the testimony provided by the petitioners and the impact of any reduction in medical services on those who live in the area and depend – with their lives – on reasonable access to vital health care services.”

Vassar Health Systems plans to replace the ICU with a Progressive Care Unit, which typically provide a more intermediate level of care as opposed to the ICU’s acute care. Blumenthal, Murphy and Hayes urge OHS to consider the potential detrimental health impacts the closure of the ICU would have on patients seeking care at Sharon Hospital and urge the agency to reject the application.

A full copy of the letter can be found below:

Dr. Deirdre Gifford

Executive Director

Office of Health Strategy

450 Main Street

Hartford, CT 06106

RE: APPLICATION FOR CONSOLIDATION OF CRITICAL CARE SERVICES AT

SHARON HOSPITAL: DOCKET NO. 22-32504-CON

Dear Dr. Gifford:

We strongly urge rejection of Vassar Health Systems’ (Nuvance) application to reduce the medical services provided at Sharon Hospital. While we understand the challenges facing the operation of rural hospitals in Connecticut, reducing or eliminating a wide range of critical acute care services at the one hospital within reasonable driving distance of many residents in Northwest Connecticut is untenable.

The Office of Health Strategy (OHS) must ensure that Sharon Hospital remains a mainstay of medical care for the sparsely populated section of Connecticut. OHS must carefully and critically scrutinize the application and consider the testimony provided by the petitioners and the impact of any reduction in medical services on those who live in the area and depend – with their lives – on reasonable access to vital health care services.

OHS should take into consideration the potential detrimental health impact on patients of being transferred from Sharon Hospital to other facilities if certain medical services are no longer available at Sharon Hospital as proposed in the application.

The Northwest Connecticut community strongly supports a viable Sharon Hospital that provides a comprehensive range of health services. We urge OHS to listen to the community and reject this application.

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