Piscopo Op-Ed: Supporting Our Community Hospitals
Last week, I, along with fellow northwest Connecticut delegates met with administrators, workers and caregivers from Charlotte Hungerford on Thursday during Hospital Day at the State Capitol. For nearly two hours, we listened to hospital officials lay out the detrimental cuts and their consequences proposed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. Members of the group shared with us that the ethics and morals of the budget compromises everything the hospital has aimed to achieve for years.
Our community hospitals have has been a vital pillar of our community, some for over a century. Their value to our families and communities are priceless. They are open 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. They provide us with a complete range of patient services from emergency medical services and treatment, to everyday care and programs.
Community hospitals provide highly specialized treatment, including oncology and cardiology. Our community residents are able to receive the highest level of medical and surgical care, in addition to advanced diagnostic imaging and tests in order to help us all achieve our optimum level of health and wellness.
Yet the governor’s proposed budget would cut essential services and programs that our residents have come to rely on for quality medical care.
There is room for savings within the hospital budgets and further efficiency should be sought. With that said, however, Malloy’s proposal would cut $550 million to community hospitals. To break this down further, this would cut nearly $8 million from Charlotte Hungerford’s operations, and impact 760 jobs throughout the northwest Connecticut community, which holds a $228 million impact on the local economy.
During a Special Session last December, the General Assembly voted on a Deficit Mitigation Plan, which included hospital budget cuts for the quarter, in order to patch a $252 million hole in the budget. It was my understanding that this would be a one-time cut. However, in his proposed budget, the Governor would continue to cut over the next two years.
The good news is that the budget process still has a ways to go. As your State Representative, I am fighting for the people at the Hospitals of Saint Mary’s, Waterbury, Bristol, and Charlotte Hungerford, and to protect the medical care and services we rely on for ourselves and our families.
I also encourage you to make your voices heard.
Please feel free to contact me about this or any legislative issue by calling my office 800-842-1423 or email john.piscopo@housegop.ct.gov.
Stay informed: www.cthousegop.com
Sincerely,
John Piscopo
State Representative, 76th District