Sharon Hospital: Marathon hearing airs labor and delivery plan

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.