Officials Call Rockville Hospital Decision An 'Utter Failure Of State Government'

VERNON, CT — Vernon Mayor Dan Champagne Tuesday essentially called state officials' decision to end Rockville General Hospital's century-long run as a full-service hospital a stab in the back.

The state Office of Health Strategy on Friday, while most of north central Connecticut was clearing out for the long holiday weekend, approved parent company Prospect Medical Holdings' request to seek consolidation of the hospital licenses of RGH and Manchester Memorial Hospital.

MMH was established in 1920 and RGH opened in 1921.

The full decision can be viewed here, but in essence, once the licenses are consolidated into a new Connecticut Department of Public Health license, RGH must have a 24-hour emergency department while also offering in-patient behavioral health services for three years.

Prospect must also give advance notice to the Office of Health Strategy of any decisions to relocate inpatient beds or relocate outpatient services, and they must be relocated within 30 miles of the Rockville General campus, according to the decision. The public must also be informed of any service terminations via a circulated publication and via the RGH website. All potential bids in an ongoing bankruptcy case must be divulged, according top the decision. Prospect filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January to "advance a strategic pathway to realign organizational focus."

Vernon officials said they found out about the decision Friday evening. The settlement between Prospect and the state Office of Health Strategy does not require Prospect to restore services it cut without state permission and in violation of state law.

"This decision by state healthcare regulators to allow these draconian cuts in services at Rockville General Hospital hurts Vernon, surrounding communities, hospital employees and Connecticut," Champagne said. "By endorsing the illegal actions of Prospect Medical Holdings in cutting services at Rockville General Hospital, and its granting of Prospect’s desire to end Rockville General Hospital’s 100 years of history as an acute care hospital, state government has turned its back on dedicated and hard-working healthcare professionals who work at Rockville General Hospital, and the people of Vernon and surrounding communities the hospital serves."

Champagne continued, "The state Office of Health Care Access and its current incarnation as the Office of Health Strategy are complicit in the killing of Rockville General Hospital, first by not holding Prospect accountable for its illegal service cuts at RGH and then for its irresponsibly long review of the proposed merger of Eastern Connecticut Health Network and Yale New Haven Health.

"We can’t help but wonder what other forces were at work in forcing the absurdly long review of the merger application. Connecticut officials knew they were dealing with private equity vampires in Prospect Medical Holdings and that unnecessary delay would place the merger and our hospitals at risk, while also preventing the respected Yale New Haven health system from establishing a presence in north central Connecticut, long the domain of Hartford Healthcare and Trinity Health of New England. The people of Vernon, eastern Connecticut and elsewhere did not matter to state bureaucrats and leaders in this process."

Vernon Town Administrator John Kleinhans, who grew up with RGH, also took the announcement personally.

"As a Vernon native, I understand the critical role Rockville General Hospital has played in the healthcare of generations of area residents. I am disappointed in our state government's inability to understand the need for local hospitals to continue to provide essential healthcare services to our residents."

Champagne was skeptical even with the comnpromise.

“I have little faith in the assurances of the Office of Health Strategy commissioner that Rockville General Hospital must maintain emergency services for three years,” Mayor Champagne said. “And the fix is clearly in on the behavioral health services RGH now offers. The utter failure of state government to properly regulate Prospect-owned ECHN and to complete a timely review of the ECHN-Yale New Haven Health merger doomed Rockville General Hospital. Prospect will not be satisfied until it has abandoned Rockville General Hospital and eliminated an essential full-service acute care hospital for Vernon and the surrounding communities."

State Sen. Jeff Gordon, a doctor himself also delivered a heated response.

"This decision by Office of Health Strategy (OHS) Commissioner (Deidre) Gifford once again highlights how out of touch with reality our state government is regarding local health care needs in Connecticut," he said. "It took years before OHS investigated the unauthorized closure of needed patient care services by Prospect Medical Holdings at Rockville General Hospital. Now, it sides with an out-of-state private equity firm that puts profits over patients? Terrible.

He continued, "Where is the Governor? Where is the Attorney General? Where is the Comptroller?
As a State Senator and a doctor, I have been fighting for the people of Connecticut. I proposed meaningful reform of certificate of need and OHS, not only to prevent private equity from destroying the hospitals it owns, but also to preserve good paying health care jobs and provide proper oversight. The people of Connecticut deserve better than this."