The consolidation of Connecticut health care continued with the announcement Thursday that Yale New Haven Health System (YNHHS) has reached a deal to take over three more hospitals in the state.
YNHHS has signed a deal with Prospect Medical Holdings to take over 357-bed Waterbury Hospital, 249-bed Manchester Memorial Hospital, and 102-bed Rockville General Hospital in Vernon. The currently for-profit hospitals would revert to nonprofit status under the deal.
The deal, which requires approvals from the state Office of Health Strategy and the Department of Public Health, also includes real estate, related physician practices and clinics.
“Working with our partners at the Yale School of Medicine, this will create a seamless and integrated delivery system that will serve the best interests of our patients in the most cost-effective manner possible throughout the state of Connecticut and the entire region,” YNHHS CEO Christopher O’Connor stated in a release announcing the deal.
YNHH already owns Yale New Haven, Bridgeport, Lawrence + Memorial, and Greenwich hospitals in Connecticut and another in Westerly, R.I.
U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal reacted to the news with a statement that both praised YNHH and raised concerns about the impact of continued hospital consolidation.
“Yale New Haven Health will undoubtedly bring its expertise and resources to these hospitals and their patients,” Blumenthal stated. “However, the continued consolidation of hospitals and health care services in Connecticut is troubling. I urge the Office of Health Strategy to carefully and critically review the impact of this transaction on consumer choice, prices and the level of care provided.”