To The Editor:
We welcome Gov. M Jodi Rell’s recent decision to delay action on the proposed John Dempsey replacement hospital to give statewide stakeholders an opportunity to pursue more collaborative solutions to the pressing academic and health care needs before us. The revised bill, calling for renewed exploration of solutions, is also welcome. Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center’s century-long commitment to medical education is deeply embedded in our culture. We are proud to train UConn medical students and more than 300 residents annually and equally proud that many of our doctors received training in the UConn system.
It is this legacy that prompted our adamant objection to the proposed clinical “partnership” between UConn and Hartford Hospital. That “partnership” called for $605 million in state funding of the replacement hospital in Farmington and 10 years of coverage for “fringe differential” benefit costs. This number would grow to more than $1.5 billion over the life of the bond funding. Asking taxpayers to fund a new project that benefits one private hospital is poor public policy.
The proposal also demanded that the state provide “expedited” reviews with “no third party” participation in deliberations and no public hearings. This was troubling, to say the least.
Last summer, we responded to the Solicitation of Interest regarding the UConn Schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine with a detailed plan that focused on academic excellence and strategic coherence. Our proposal outlined a collaborative approach between UConn and the region’s hospitals, the backbone of the Connecticut Health Education and Research Collaborative.
We did not initially tender a bricks-and-mortar clinical proposal because our due diligence revealed that no single hospital could bear the cost of reconstructing John Dempsey Hospital. Instead, we recommend expanding the collaborative approach to encompass education, research, and clinical care. Strengthening the system that currently provides access to over 2,300 beds at Hartford-area teaching hospitals can truly break new ground for academic medicine. This rational alternative , engaging all of UConn’s major teaching hospitals, will have lasting value for the state, the region, and the university.
Christopher M. Dadlez, president and CEO
Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center
