The recent state-approved merger of Western Connecticut Health Network and Norwalk Health Services Corp. has at least one Ridgefield official pondering what it means for the future of health care in Fairfield County.
“The belief is that merging and sharing services will reduce some of the costs that hospitals in the area have been fighting for years,” said First Selectman Rudy Marconi. “I think the real value to a patient in health care remains to be seen, but there is a possibility this will yield great results.”
Mr. Marconi’s cautious optimism stems from the fact that the new organization, which includes Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, and their affiliates, is tax exempt. The health network has a couple of offices in Ridgefield, whose equipment is tax-exempt.
The merger allows for 822 hospital beds to be governed by a single board of directors.
“We’ve been told by the state that it will bring a much higher quality of medicine and health care in the area, and at a lower cost,” Mr. Marconi added. “It all sounds good.”
“We each bring strong legacies in not-for-profit, community-based health care to our shared goal: providing greater access to a broader ranger of resources to help people lead healthier lives,” said John M. Murphy, president and CEO of Western Connecticut Health Network. “Together we will build an integrated network of health services for our communities to redefine what a health care organization can offer.”
Teams comprising staff from both hospitals are working on plans to integrate operations; however, no plans of consolidating certain departments were announced.
“Even in the short term, patients in our communities will experience the benefits of our collaboration,” said Dan DeBarbara Jr., the executive vice president of the Western Connecticut Health Network. “The new organization will offer greater access to a wider range of surgical and specialty care than either organization offered on its own.”
Mr. Marconi doesn’t expect the merger to be completed “overnight” and that he will be watching to see what happens in the next couple of months.