SHARON — The state Office of Health Strategies online public hearing on Sharon Hospital’s application to close its labor and delivery unit started on time at 10 a.m. and ended at 9:36 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 6.
Sharon Hospital and Nuvance Health, its parent, kicked things off. Hospital representatives stated and restated their argument that the labor and delivery unit is a low volume service (173 births in fiscal 2021) that loses $3 million per year and is economically unviable.
The hospital officials argued that closing labor and delivery is a critical part of its overall plan for the hospital, allowing it to expand and add other needed services, especially care for seniors.
The hospital officials also said that women can — and often do — choose other, nearby hospitals for deliveries, and that Sharon Hospital’s Emergency Department will be able to handle pregnancy-related emergencies should they arise.
The Save Sharon Hospital group, which appeared as intervenors and on the Zoom meeting as a group from Sharon Town Hall, argued that there is a crisis of maternal care in the country and that the area served by Sharon Hospital has been largely shielded from the national trend because of the hospital’s labor and delivery unit.
SSH said transporting pregnant women in emergency situations to other hospitals is a poor substitute, especially given the terrain of Northwest Connecticut and Dutchess County, N.Y. and the severe winters.
SSH advocates also questioned the ability of emergency room doctors to handle difficult cases, and took issue with the hospital’s claims of major financial losses.
SSH witnesses criticized hospital management on several fronts, including how the announcement of the closing was made, management/staff relations, poor or non-existent marketing, and an unwillingness on the part of hospital officials to try and find an alternative to closing.
Financial expert Victor Germack questioned the accounting behind the hospital’s $3 million annual loss figure, and Dr. Howard Mortman, an obstetrician, painted a grim picture of the future for mothers and babies if the labor and delivery unit is shuttered.
State Representative Maria Horn (D-64), Kent First Selectman Jean Speck, and Sharon First Selectman Brent Colley were witnesses for SSH.
Horn said “In order to have a thriving community we need a thriving hospital, which includes maternity.”
Speck said closing the unit “will do harm to our communities” and that local emergency services are not designed for inter-hospital transfers.”
Colley said he asked residents of Sharon about the matter and found a common theme: the hospital is the heart of Sharon.
“I’m worried about what else closes” if the labor and delivery unit shuts down, he said, adding that the emphasis should not be on “profit for the hospital, but on overall quality of life.”
The public comment portion of the hearing started around 3:10 p.m., but a few minutes prior the hearing officer, Daniel Csuka, said that the court reporter was no longer present on the Zoom meeting and he was unsure if the hearing could proceed without her.
He said he was trying to find another reporter and seeking an opinion on proceeding from the Attorney General’s office.
After a few minutes, and assurances from attorneys Ted Tucci, the hospital’s lawyer, and Paul Knag, representing SSH, that they wished to continue, the hearing resumed.
Public comment was mostly against the hospital’s application.
State Senator-elect Steven Harding (R-30) expressed his “absolute opposition” to the hospital’s plan, as did Cornwall First Selectman Gordon Ridgway and his counterpart in Salisbury, Curtis Rand.
Several hospital and/or Nuvance employees supported the plan in their public comments as did Kevin O’Connell, the CEO of Geer Village in North Canaan.
A running tally of the public comments, many from former or current medical professionals and elected officials as well as people with emergency services experience, showed 10 supporting the hospital’s plan and 27 opposing.
After public comment, in answering a question from OHS about the risk of closing Sharon Hospital completely, Nuvance CEO Dr. John Murphy said the losses from the labor and delivery have caused financial stress for some time.
“I do not want to close Sharon Hospital.”
He continued: “We are poor in resources at Sharon Hospital. The for-profits had Sharon Hospital and sold it for less, they ran away from it.”
He said of the opponents of the hospital’s plan, “I know what they’re against. What are they for?”
In closing arguments, SSH attorney Knag warned that “people are going to die, if this is approved, who wouldn’t otherwise die.” He then recapped most of the SSH’s arguments.
Tucci, the hospital’s lawyer, said the OHS will have to choose whether to decide the matter based on “facts, data and evidence” or “fear, anecdotes, personal attacks and speculation.”
And after three more comments from the public (all against the hospital’s plan), the hearing closed at 9:36 p.m.
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PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
On Thursday, Oct. 30, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the Norfolk Library will host a free public screening of “Tiananmen Tonight,” a film by Bestor Cram and Michael Streissguth about the 1989 student uprising in China and the daring coverage by Dan Rather and CBS. Director Cram will introduce the film.
A documentary filmmaker whose life was forged in the fire of Vietnam, where he served as a Marine, Cram earned the Navy Commendation Medal. He returned home to become a conscientious objector and leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. After working in the MIT Film Studies Program, he founded Northern Light Productions in Boston, producing media for museums, and has made more than 30 feature documentary films.
His credits include the 1995 Academy Award-winning documentary “Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision,” as well as “After Innocence and Wrestling with Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner.” His film “Unfinished Symphony,” premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.
JA: When did you begin telling stories?
BC: I began my filmmaking adventure as an organizer for Vietnam Veterans Against the War. I arranged for a group of filmmakers to document our march, which followed the ride of Paul Revere in reverse, a warning to folks to become patriots and oppose the war.
JA: How does our current political and moral dilemma, with journalism under fire, inform this film?
BC: The film is about a momentous event that became a defining example of how television journalism lived up to its promise, providing in-depth, ongoing reporting that enabled an audience to understand the evolution of a news story. It provides insight into the decisions journalists face in dealing with management, restrictive budgets, governmental impediments, and the dilemmas that arise when reporters become part of the news.
JA: What drew you to the story of Dan Rather and CBS in China?
BC: Dan Rather and his team were in a ratings fight, but more importantly, they were fighting to reestablish their reputation as the gold standard in TV journalism.
JA: How can we protect our free press?
BC: The bottom line rules capitalism. When corporations become owners of the press, they no longer view news as a public service but as another commodity on the balance sheet. I believe the best way to protect the free press is to limit who owns it.
JA: What is the role of the press, and of film, in truth-telling?
BC: The role of the press is to inform. The role of film is also to inform, but its format is essentially an editorial perspective. Telling the truth is more a process of what is chosen to be presented and its sources.
JA: How do you define bravery?
BC: Bravery is the notion of expressing oneself physically and intellectually based on one’s conscience, kind of a Henry David Thoreau ideal. Following the law is part of citizenship, but ensuring the justness of the law is also part of citizenship.
JA: Do you think China is more or less repressive now than in 1989?
BC: Economically, people are better off. But the price paid for not contesting the Chinese totalitarian regime is one of accepting the repression of free speech and the rewriting of history.
JA: What do you want people to take away from this film?
BC: Appreciation for the quality and courage of the journalists who reported Tiananmen, and a consideration of what is being done in TV journalism today. And a reexamination of the stand the Chinese took then as an inspiration for how movements today can shape change, knowing that there are consequences to be considered when dealing with governments.
JA: What is your current project?
BC: A feature documentary called “Not Your Average Citizen,” the story of Boris Nemtsov, leader of the Russian opposition and critic of Vladimir Putin, who was gunned down outside the Kremlin in February 2015. As Nemtsov often said, “Freedom comes at a high price.”
More at notyouraveragecitizen.com.
Register at norfolklibrary.org
Abstract artist Vincent Inconiglios' love and enthusiasm for color and form are evident all around him at his Falls Village studio, where he has worked for 25 years. He is surrounded by paintings large and small, woodcuts, photographs, collages and arrays of found objects.
The objects Inconiglios has found while out walking — in Falls Village, near his studio on Gansevoort Street in New York City, and in other places throughout the world — hold special importance to him. Appreciation of them, he says, comes from “seeing while exploring. I am always finding things.” His particular delight is finding objects that look like faces, many of which will be featured in the ArtWall show at the Hunt Library.
The found objects inspire him, are his “friends,” and serve as muses for his work. He has had some in his collection for more than 50 years. “I’ve always thought of them as parts of me.”
As he shows these objects and tells how he found them, his enthusiasm is contagious. It suggests a new way of looking at the world, even at the most mundane bits of debris.
The sheer volume of paintings and collages displayed in his Falls Village studio attests to his interest in form, color, and composition.
Inconiglios will bring his sense of play and love of discovery to his show, “Face Time,” opening at the Hunt Library in Falls Village on Oct. 25, with a reception from 5 to 7 p.m. It features faces in collages, photos, and found objects. The works will be on display until Nov. 21.
Inconiglios explained a little about his process. “If I am stuck,” he said, “I’ll cut something and put it down. One thing leads to another and forces me to focus.” Next month, in a workshop with children, he will share techniques like this that have guided him in his work.
The children, students at Lee H. Kellogg School in Falls Village, will create their own face collages. Inconiglio enjoys the spontaneity children bring to their creations and is eager to work with them.
On Nov. 13, Inconiglio will give an artist’s talk at 5:30 p.m. at Hunt Library.
He looks forward to feedback about “Face Time,” commenting, “I’d rather get bad feedback than no feedback.”
For more information, visit: huntlibrary.org/art-wall/.
