Rep. Case has plans to fight for Charlotte Hungerford

HARTFORD – Charlotte Hungerford Hospital holds a special place in State Rep. Jay Case’s heart – a personal connection – and he intends on fighting for the hospital during the upcoming budget discussions.

Rep. Case, R-63, and fellow northwest Connecticut delegates met with administrators, workers and caregivers from Charlotte Hungerford on Thursday during the hospital’s lobby day at the State Capitol. For nearly two hours, Rep. Case listened to hospital officials lay out the detrimental cuts and their aftereffects proposed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.

“It’s our hospital. It’s our community,” Rep. Case told the group sitting in the Legislative Office Building. “This is how we govern: with the voice of our constituency, our community and our hospital.

“There have already been reductions and cost containment at Charlotte Hungerford,” Rep. Case said. “Charlotte has been scratched down nearly to the skeleton crew, and they can’t afford to see more cuts. And neither can our communities.”

Members of the group told Reps. Case, John Piscopo, Michelle Cook, and State Sen. Clark Chapin that the ethics and morals of the budget compromises everything the hospital has aimed to achieve for years. As the final safety net, emergency rooms in hospitals like Charlotte Hungerford could see a devastating blow if Malloy’s cuts take hold.

Malloy’s proposal would cut nearly $8 million from Charlotte Hungerford’s operations, and impact the 760 jobs throughout the northwest Connecticut community, which holds a $228 million impact on the local economy.

“Fortunately, the process still has a way to go,” Rep. Case said. “The people at Charlotte and the surrounding communities need to know that their voices are being heard in Hartford. We’re fighting tooth and nail for their services and all the communities they serve.”