The Southington Town Council has sent a letter to state officials imploring them to help halt plans to close the Hospital of Central Connecticut’s emergency room and relocate the facility.
Hartford HealthCare, the hospital’s parent group, says it aims to create a “new, state-of-the-art, ambulatory care facility that will provide a freestanding, 24/7 emergency department,” but residents are fighting back.
“The Townspeople were shocked and extremely upset at the idea of this proposal and have begun to mobilize with petitions and letters to the Public Health Commission, with a heartfelt request that Bradley Memorial Hospital stay a full functioning hospital with a complete Emergency Department,” the town council wrote in a Sept. 8 letter to the Department of Public Health.
According to the letter, Hartford HealthCare has proposed a new facility at 462 Queen Street to house the emergency department, a plan that came to light in June but has since been put on hold.
“We, the members of the Southington Town Council on August 11, 2014 unanimously agreed with our citizens that we absolutely need a fully functioning hospital and emergency department,” the letter says.
Town Council Chairman Michael A. Riccio said the council convened to learn more about the situation on Aug. 28 and unanimously decided to write to the DPH.
“We have taken the time to listen to our residents and their interests and are committed to listening throughout this process,” Riccio said.
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A spokesperson for Hartford HealthCare said last month the hospital would continue to offer non-emergency services at either the Bradley Memorial campus on Meriden Avenue or the new facility on Queen Street.
“We are looking forward to working together with the community and our staff to build a bigger, better health care delivery system for the Town of Southington,” Hartford HealthCare said in a statement last month.
But the organization has since posted an update on its Web site.
"Hartford HealthCare has listened to the community, and based on what we've heard we feel it’s important to pause the process and not submit a Certificate of Need in September as we had planned. Instead, we want to take the time necessary to reach out and engage the Southington community about how, working together, we can best provide the most appropriate health care services and programs at the Bradley Memorial Campus and within the Town of Southington," says the update, dated Aug. 13.
Southington Town Manager Garry Brumback said in an email Tuesday that town officials are "working with Hartford HealthCare to define what is best for the community and sustainable."
Brumback said it's early in the process and that the committee is discussing alternatives.
The Hospital of Central Connecticut comprises campuses in New Britain and Southington at what was once New Britain General Hospital and Bradley Memorial Hospital.
