Hartford HealthCare and Ascension are in negotiations for Hartford to acquire St. Vincent's Medical Center of Bridgeport, Conn., from Ascension. The two health systems have signed a nonbinding letter of intent for the transaction.
Under the proposed acquisition, the 473-bed community teaching hospital, as well as its nearby 76-bed inpatient psychiatric facility, its provider group and its disability services program would join the Hartford, Conn.-based nonprofit system. Hartford HealthCare includes a tertiary care teaching hospital, a community teaching hospital, a hospital and trauma center, three community hospitals, behavioral health services, a physician group, home care system and a network of other facilities. Hartford HealthCare's facilities are located throughout Connecticut, with most of them concentrated in central Connecticut. Bridgeport is about 55 miles southwest of Hartford.
A joint press release announcing the deal says that if the transaction is completed, Hartford HealthCare "would continue to operate St. Vincent's in compliance with Catholic traditions."
In that release, Patricia Maryland, executive vice president of St. Louis-based Ascension and president and chief executive of Ascension Healthcare, said that in the current health care environment, health care providers can best serve patients and community members when those facilities are part of clinically integrated networks. She said Hartford HealthCare is Connecticut's most comprehensive health care network. Ascension has no health care sites besides St. Vincent's in Connecticut.
The release said the deal's closure is pending a due diligence review and necessary government approvals.
Copyright © 2018 by the Catholic Health Association
of the United States
For reprint permission, contact Betty Crosby or call (314) 253-3490.