Vigil supports reopening maternity unit
Nov. 16—W I L L I M A N T I C — According to AFT Connecticut Executive Vice President John Brady, the last two community needs assessments conducted by Windham Community Memorial Hospital showed that transportation and women's health services were top needs for the community.
Despite this, Hartford HealthCare closed the maternity unit at Windham Hospital in July 2020. As a result, some local women must travel a lengthy distance to deliver their babies at The William W. Backus in Norwich and other hospitals, a concern expressed by Windham United to Save Our HealthCare Coalition members.
" You would hope that a hospital would address those needs," Brady said during a flashlight vigil held by the coalition by Jillson Square on Monday.
Windham Hospital is required to undergo a community needs assessment every three years under the Affordable Care Act.
The assessment evaluates healthcare and other health needs of community members.
Buchbinder said she was concerned that many community members lack transportation and thus, can not visit family members who are giving birth.
Windham Hospital patients are now giving birth at Backus and other hospitals in the area.
The vigil was organized in recognition of the first anniversary of a public hearing held about Windham Hospital's Certificate of Need application.
Hartford HealthCare officials have said the maternity unit was closed in response to staffing challenges and a low birth rate.
According to documentation Hartford HealthCare submitted to the state Office of Health Strategy (OHS), from fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2019, the number of births declined by 285, a 75% drop, and there were only 99 births in 2019.
In July, OHS fined Windham Hospital $ 65,000 for closing the unit without regulatory approval. OHS denied an appeal of that fine in August.
The hospital did not apply for a certificate of need ( CON) through the Office of Health Strategy until Sept. 3, 2020. CON approval is required for major changes at a hospital, such as ending services.
On July 5, OHS issued a proposed final decision in which they denied the CON application, citing failure to meet six of the eight criteria.
Coalition member Brenda Buchbinder, a licensed clinical social worker at Natchaug Hospital in Mansfield, said Hartford HealthCare has ended several essential ser-
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