Connecticut Children’s Medical Center has asked state regulators to determine whether it needs state approval to close its 12-bed unit in Waterbury and relocate it to its campus in Hartford.
Connecticut Children’s Medical Center has asked state regulators to determine whether it needs state approval to close its 12-bed unit in Waterbury and relocate it to its campus in Hartford.
In a certificate of need determination letter filed with the state Office of Health Strategy on Monday, Connecticut Children’s CEO James Shmerling states that his organization has maintained a satellite unit at St. Mary’s Hospital in Waterbury since 2008. St. Mary’s is owned and operated by Trinity Health Of New England.
The satellite unit, he said, is staffed by 11 physicians, three nurse practitioners, three physician assistants, 13 registered nurses, one health unit coordinator, and two personal care assistants.
“The St. Mary’s unit provides care to pediatric patients admitted through the emergency departments of either St. Mary’s Hospital or Waterbury Hospital,” Shmerling states, adding that it serves Waterbury and 10 surrounding towns.
Connecticut Children’s is requesting OHS to determine that a CON “is not required” to relocate the St. Mary’s unit and to consolidate its services and staff to its main hospital campus at 282 Washington St. in Hartford.
The letter states that the Waterbury unit has had “very low volume for a number of years, which indicates there is no longer a need for a 12-bed inpatient pediatric unit in that location.”
The letter states that the average daily census has dropped from 2.4 patients in fiscal year 2022, to 1.3 patients through May of this year.
Connecticut Children’s also states that the unit has “persistent staffing shortages and increased expenses for staff,” particularly for nurses and advanced practice provider staff that require it to relocate existing staff “to the location of greatest demand,” its main hospital campus.
The letter also states that the unit had been operated under an agreement among the two Waterbury hospitals and Connecticut Children’s, but that the change in ownership at Waterbury Hospital and its subsequent financial troubles “undermines the original intent of the arrangement.”
Connecticut Children’s also states that it is facing “significant financial challenges, due in part to budgetary reductions and state program funding, as well as significant proposed cuts to Medicaid funding at the federal level.”
The children’s hospital also notes that it leases space for the Waterbury unit from St. Mary’s, and that the lease currently renews monthly. “Connecticut Children’s right to continue using the premises could be terminated on short notice at any time,” it states.
OHS must now determine whether a certificate of need is needed. Typically, a CON is necessary when a hospital or health organization seeks to terminate a health service and/or close a facility.
Connecticut Children’s says it does not need a CON to close and relocate the facility because it will not affect access to care nor terminate services, since they will be available at the Hartford campus.
Trinity Health Of England declined to comment on the application,
Shmerling, in a statement provided to Hartford Business Journal by email, said Connecticut Children’s is “proud of our longstanding partnerships in the Waterbury region and remain(s) fully committed to serving families in the area.”
He also said emergency pediatric support will remain available at St Mary’s and that Connecticut Children's will continue to coordinate care from the Waterbury region with local clinicians.
“If a child requires (a) higher level of care, they would be transferred to our Hartford campus to receive that care without interruption,” Shmerling added.
