Message Archive
March 18, 2009
The Governor’s Announcement Regarding Our New
Hospital
President Hogan and I were not surprised when Governor Rell
announced earlier this week that she does not support the
proposed replacement hospital and partnership with Hartford
Hospital. Her letter can be read here:
http://www.courant.com/media/acrobat/2009-03/45607288.pdf.
A great amount of effort has taken place over the past
several months to engage elected officials regarding our vision
for the future of the Health Center, and the crucial importance
a new hospital will play. These talks are proving to be
exceptionally helpful. We are making our case, listening to
views and concerns, providing information to allow for a
thoughtful decision to be reached by legislators. We were aware
of the concerns expressed by the governor and believe the
benefits of the proposal outweigh her concerns. We will continue
to work with the General Assembly to move the plan forward.
Several elements of Governor Rell’s announcement are
encouraging. Her letter is thoughtful, acknowledges the Health
Center as being “a critical element of the current health care
network,” and describes the merger plan as having “enormous
promise.” She also acknowledges the proposal “would modernize
the UConn hospital and bring the latest in health care
technology to the people it serves, provide the finest training
possible to our medical and dental students and grow much needed
jobs in our economy.” While she cites the current economic
climate as the primary reason for her non-support, she says the
issue should be reconsidered once the economic picture has begun
to improve.
Although the governor opposes funding the new hospital as
being too expensive for now, the plan calls for a relatively
smaller expense over the upcoming biennium mainly spent in
hospital design. It is important to note that the overall
economics of funding a new hospital are highly favorable and
suggest that our proposal will serve as a catalyst to the
Connecticut economy. Our economic analysis shows that our
proposal pays for itself twice over while creating thousands of
jobs.
Although there are many hurdles to overcome in the weeks
ahead, there is support in the General Assembly to further
discuss the proposal. I am happy to report that the Higher
Education and Employment Advancement Committee today voted to
move forward a bill concerning the proposal.
We certainly respect the governor’s stance as these are
extraordinarily challenging times, but as I have said in the
past, we must embrace the vision for the future, and not let the
problems of the present or fears borne of the past cause us to
falter as we work to achieve our goal. We will continue our
advocacy for the proposal while doing all that we can to
strengthen the Health Center’s current academic, clinical, and
financial standing.
Cato T. Laurencin, M.D., Ph.D.
Vice President for Health Affairs
Dean, School of Medicine |
