Hartford Hospital seeks to expand maternity service to CT Children’s unit

PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford.

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Hartford Hospital has filed an application with the state to determine whether it needs approval to extend its maternity service to a unit within Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

According to the application filed Friday with the state Office of Health Strategy (OHS), Hartford Hospital is seeking a determination that a Certificate of Need (CON) is not required to extend the service.

According to a state website, a CON is required when, among other reasons, a facility wants to introduce any new or additional function or service into its program of care, or when it would incur capital expenditures exceeding either $2 million or capital expenditures exceeding $1 million with an increase in facility square footage by 5,000 square feet or 5% of existing square footage.

In its application, Hartford Hospital states it expects a capital expenditure of between $10 million and $15 million.

Connecticut Children’s is integrated into the main campus of Hartford Hospital, and the two healthcare facilities have “a long history of providing complementary services between the hospitals,” the application states.

Hartford Hospital states that it intends to extend its maternity service to Connecticut Children’s facility at 282 Washington St., in Hartford, which is located on the Hartford Hospital campus.

“Once complete, this new unit will house six of Hartford Hospital’s existing licensed (medical/surgical) beds, to be used as labor, delivery, recovery and postpartum (LDRP) beds, and six of its existing licensed bassinets,” the application states. Hartford Hospital will lease space from Connecticut Children’s for the beds.

It adds that “no beds or bassinets will be added to the Hartford Hospital license with this proposal.” Instead, the six beds and six bassinets will remain on Hartford Hospital’s license as part of its overall 867 bed count.

The beds and bassinets will be staffed by Hartford Hospital’s maternity service, but Connecticut Children’s perinatologists (obstetricians who specialize in high-risk pregnancies) will be available to care for babies after delivery if necessary, Hartford Hospital said.

The hospital said it will also continue to provide maternity services at its main building, at 80 Seymour St., where it has 46 licensed maternity beds and 42 licensed bassinets will remain. Because of that, it said, “there will be no termination of either maternity or newborn care services at Hartford Hospital.”

If OHS determines that a CON is not required, Hartford Hospital said, the estimated starting date for the project would be December 2026.

Hartford Hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment.