Rell airs revised John Dempsey Hospital plan

Gov. M. Jodi Rell on Tuesday unveiled revised plans for a new $352 million patient tower and renovated academic and research facility at John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington -- a much smaller package than first conceived more than a year ago.

The new facility, to be paid for with state and federal funds, would have 230 to 234 beds, create more than 5,000 new jobs, and allow for larger class sizes at the University of Connecticut's School of Medicine and Dental Medicine, Rell said.

The hospital is also part of a larger plan to establish a University of Connecticut Health Network, which would create a partnership between major players in the state's health care industry, including Hartford Hospital, Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, and the Connecticut Children's Medical Center.

"Together, we will help lift the UConn schools of medicine into the top tier of academics and research and create thousands of healthcare jobs for our economy," Rell said in a statement.

To pay for the new hospital and related facilities, $100 million of the investment is expected to come from federal funds; $25 million for design and planning will come from already approved UConn 21^st Century funding; and $227 million will be in state bonding.

Rell's support for the hospital marks a reversal in position from last year, when she declined to throw her political weight behind UConn's plan to build a 250-bed, $475 million facility, arguing it was unaffordable.

The previous plan, first aired in late 2008, called for a merger between the University of Connecticut Health Center and Hartford Hospital, as well as the construction of a new $475 million hospital with 250 beds.

Rell said she supports the latest plan because it  has "a much lower state price tag...with a far more robust network and partnership and far greater job and economic development opportunities."

In addition to the new hospital, the network features: 

 

·         Nationally recognized cancer center at the Farmington campus. Partners will seek federal designation of Comprehensive Cancer Center to make it the second in the state outside of Yale;

·         Primary Care Institute at St. Francis. Would be open to all healthcare professionals to develop new models of chronic disease management and primary care education and treatment;

·         Simulation center at Hartford Hospital. Open to all healthcare professionals to train on newest equipment and technology in simulated care settings;

·         Transfer of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) to Connecticut Children's Medical Center. NICU will still be at Dempsey, but run by CCMC's regional children's system;

·         Health disparities institute in the city of Hartford. Would promote enhanced healthcare research, training and delivery to minority communities;

·         Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences on Farmington Campus. A super-site by network partners would speed lab-to-bedside clinical trials and breakthrough medicine;

·         Establishment of bioscience enterprise zone. Would offer state tax breaks to private companies that create jobs and work with UConn Health Network partners.