Hartford HealthCare details plan for a 'New Bradley'

August 12, 2014 By Hartford HealthCare

Hartford HealthCare plans to expand its long-term commitment to the Town of Southington with a proposal to transform The Hospital of Central Connecticut’s Bradley Memorial campus.

The vision for the “new Bradley” is to make major investments to meet the comprehensive health care needs of the Southington community, especially the growing demand for services that benefit older adults. The plan is subject to state approval.

As announced in April, Hartford HealthCare filed a Certificate of Need (CON) application with the state Office of Health Care Access (OHCA), seeking to discontinue inpatient services at Bradley. OHCA received notification of that filing this week. Steady and significant declines in the number of inpatients who are served at the location, reflecting a national trend, make Bradley’s continuation as an inpatient environment unsustainable.

“We acknowledge Bradley’s rich history, and we are proud of our ongoing service to the Southington community,” said Lucille Janatka, president of Hartford HealthCare’s Central Region, which includes The Hospital of Central Connecticut. “This is an opportunity to create a bright and robust future for this location and the people we serve. We are working to create a sustainable plan for coordinated services.”

Related to the proposal is a plan to create a larger, full-service, state-of-the-art emergency department in a more convenient location. Services would continue to be available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the new location. There would be no disruption in emergency care services, and the existing center would remain fully operational until the new center opens. This emergency department would be complemented by a full range of ambulatory health care services, providing greater access to care the community needs.

Plans for transforming the Bradley campus began earlier this year. The Main Street Community Foundation approved a grant of $100,000 in May to be used toward funding a study to determine the best strategy for meeting the health, medical and wellness needs of the Southington community and helping to ensure Bradley’s financial stability.

A Community Advisory Committee is being formed to continue the planning for investments to transform Bradley.

Trish Walden, a long-time Southington resident and vice president of Hartford HealthCare’s Central Connecticut Senior Health Services, has been named the project lead for the repurposing of the Bradley campus. Walden is an expert in senior health care, having opened Southington Care Center in 1990, The Orchards at Southington in 1998 and Mulberry Gardens of Southington in 2003. All three award-winning communities have formed a strong continuum of care for Southington residents and people throughout the region.

“We are considering all possibilities for transforming the Bradley campus. In addition, we plan to design an ambulatory, family-oriented medical care solution,” Walden said. “The goal is to expand services and enhance access to care. Hartford HealthCare considers the community to be a partner. We will work closely with community leaders, invite input and partner with experienced organizations to determine next steps.”

Southington is a key component in Hartford HealthCare’s strategy to enhance care delivery for all of Central Connecticut, Janatka said. In addition to creating a new, fully modern emergency care center in a more accessible location, the health system is planning the opening of an ambulatory surgery center. Nearby, Hartford HealthCare is completing construction on a $40-million cancer center and making continued improvements to the New Britain hospital campus.

“These significant projects speak to our ongoing commitment to Southington and to improving access to high-quality care for our entire region,” Janatka said. “We understand the community’s deep connection to the Bradley campus and pledge to build a successful and supportive model of care to meet residents’ needs for generations to come.”

For more information visit www.bradleyfuture.org.

Contact: Tina Varona
Manager, Media Relations
Hartford HealthCare
Cell: 860.310.7640
Tina.Varona@hhchealth.org