State healthcare regulators have scheduled a public hearing next week for Hartford HealthCare’s application to acquire Manchester Memorial and Rockville General hospitals.
Hartford HealthCare filed an emergency certificate of need application last month with the state Office of Health Strategy, stating it plans to invest $311.8 million in the two hospitals. The total includes paying $86.1 million to acquire the hospitals from Prospect Medical Holdings.
Prospect filed a Chapter 11 petition in federal bankruptcy court in Dallas in January. Hartford HealthCare’s emergency application was filed four days after a federal bankruptcy court judge gave final approval for it to acquire the hospitals.
Hartford HealthCare, the state’s second-largest health system, formed a subsidiary called ECHN Holdings Inc. that has entered into an asset purchase agreement with Prospect ECHN Inc., the entity that holds the Manchester and Vernon hospitals.
On Oct. 1, Prospect ECHN consolidated Rockville General Hospital Inc. under Prospect MMH hospital’s license.
According to a document posted online by OHS, the public hearing on the application is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 18, starting at 9:30 a.m. It will begin with technical presentations about the application; public comments will begin at 1 p.m.
The hearing will be held in Conference Room B-North at 450 Columbus Blvd., in Hartford. The public may also participate via Zoom using this link. The meeting ID is 892 2992 8908, while the passcode is 615028.
OHS has until Dec. 30 to act on HHC’s application.
