Sen. Gordon Applauds OHS Approval of Hartford HealthCare Acquisition of ECHN Hospitals, Calls Decision a Major Step Toward Stability, Access, and Local Jobs

HARTFORD, CT – State Senator Jeff Gordon (R-Woodstock), a practicing physician and advocate for strengthening Connecticut’s health-care system, issued the following statement today after the Office of Health Strategy (OHS) formally approved Hartford HealthCare’s emergency Certificate of Need application to acquire Manchester Memorial Hospital, Rockville General Hospital, and related Eastern Connecticut Health Network (ECHN) assets.

“As both a doctor and a state senator, I have fought for years to stop the downward spiral these hospitals have suffered under the for-profit private-equity ownership of Prospect Medical Holdings. Rockville General is in my district, and I have worked tirelessly to protect it and the patients and families it serves. Today’s approval marks a critical turning point that I have worked hard to help bring about,” said Sen. Gordon.

OHS granted expedited approval this week to ensure continuity of patient care, following years of financial instability and service reductions. Hartford HealthCare (HHC), selected through bankruptcy proceedings, will now begin stabilizing the hospitals and planning for long-term investment.

Sen. Gordon emphasized several priorities he outlined in his testimony to OHS. He is committed to preserving essential patient care services, protecting existing health-care jobs, ensuring long-term investment and expansion of needed care, and strengthening local health-care access.

Sen. Gordon continued, “I will continue working closely with OHS, Hartford HealthCare, the workforce, and local communities throughout the transition and beyond to ensure this takeover delivers what eastern Connecticut deserves: stable hospitals, quality care, and a health-care system that puts people, not private-equity profits, first.”

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