CHH & Hartford HealthCare Explore Affiliation
February 25, 2016
Torrington, CT — Charlotte Hungerford Hospital (CHH) and Hartford HealthCare have taken the first step toward a formal affiliation.
The CHH Board of Governors signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding. Following a period of due diligence, the two organizations hope to prepare the details of a definitive agreement over the next several months.
If successful, CHH would become a member of Hartford HealthCare, which includes Hartford Hospital, Backus Hospital, the Hospital of Central Connecticut, MidState Medical Center, Natchaug Hospital, Windham Hospital and a wide spectrum of additional health services.
An affiliation would enable both organizations to share the knowledge and expertise of their staffs and physicians and give patients easier access to a wider range of services, technology and treatments. The strategic partnership would enhance CHH’s existing service line options and programs, improve care coordination, provide additional access points for care delivery, support the recruitment of skilled providers, assist with community benefit programming and allowing for further infrastructure investments.
“Charlotte Hungerford Hospital is celebrating 100 years of caregiving this year, and we are very excited to begin our next century with Hartford HealthCare because they share our mission and vision to provide quality healthcare to the communities of northwest Connecticut,” said Dan McIntyre, president and executive director at CHH. “This partnership will help position our hospital to remain a financially viable healthcare resource and best accomplishes the affiliation criteria our Board of Governors set out to accomplish in 2014.”
Hartford HealthCare officials cited CHH’s tradition of providing high-quality care to the people of northwestern Connecticut as well as the organization’s robust partnerships with local agencies and groups.
“Charlotte Hungerford Hospital and Hartford HealthCare both are values-driven organizations with a shared mission to create healthier communities,” said Elliot Joseph, president and chief executive officer of Hartford HealthCare. “We are eager to move ahead to form a partnership that will support and broaden the extraordinary work of Charlotte Hungerford Hospital.”
CHH administrators and board members intend to maintain and grow the hospital’s community relationships and services while continuing to fulfill its roles as a public health supporter, healthcare educator and driver of the local economy.
The CHH Board of Governors began a multi-year process in 2014 to evaluate the possible need for a strategic affiliation with a larger health system. The goal was to conduct a comprehensive, thoughtful approach to consider ways to improve the hospital’s operational, financial and clinical enterprise over the long-term, while providing safe, affordable healthcare. After thorough deliberations, the committee recommended, and the board concluded, that Hartford HealthCare demonstrated the greatest desire for a mutual commitment of services and the clearest shared vision and culture with CHH.
“The board understands the hospital faces a much different and more complicated healthcare environment today than it did just a decade ago. Today’s economic and financial pressures require us to take the necessary steps to ensure we remain financially viable, while providing quality healthcare provider that offers the very best technology and care,” said John Janco, chairman of the CHH Board of Governors. “The affiliation process helped us determine that the hospital is in a secure position and that now is the time to be proactive in considering a strategic partner.”
Both organizations now will evaluate the proposed affiliation in greater depth and finalize the details of a future partnership. If successful, they would authorize a definitive agreement. Once customary regulatory approvals are received, the affiliation would become effective.
As the affiliation process moves forward, CHH intends to keep its patients and supporters informed.
Visit www.charlottehungerford.org for updates.
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Hartford HealthCare is Connecticut’s only truly integrated health care system. With more than 18,000 employees and $2.5 billion in net revenue, the system offers the full continuum of care with five acute-care hospitals, the state’s oldest air-ambulance service, behavioral health and rehabilitation services, a large physician group and clinical integration organization, skilled-nursing and visiting-nurse services, and a number of services for seniors, including senior-living facilities. Connect to Healthier: Learn more at www.HartfordHealthCare.org
The Charlotte Hungerford Hospital is a 109 bed, general acute care hospital located in Torrington, Connecticut, that serves as a regional health care resource for 100,000 residents of Litchfield County and Northwest Connecticut. CHH offers personalized attention from an expert team of caregivers and physicians that utilize advanced technology and clinical partnerships in a convenient, safe and comfortable patient environment. One-Thousand Caregivers, One Job, Your Health: Learn more at www.charlottehungerford.org