Control issues surround health center location

Though they weren’t legally required to do so, representatives from Charlotte Hungerford Hospital came to the Winchester Board of Selectmen’s meeting Monday night to discuss the latest developments in their quest to either upgrade the current Winsted Health Center or build a new facility — the latter of which has been on the front burner for several months.

The meeting came after the Board of Selectmen wrote a letter to hospital officials in August declaring that selectmen want the health center to stay where it is, but the board didn’t offer the most convincing arguments Monday night.

Many people in Winsted share an affinity for the Winsted Health Center, which was built more than a century ago and has seen its share of controversy in recent years. The stately old structure is a local landmark and a recognized point of service for many area residents who simply do not want to see the health center leave.

But through the building’s years, as the business of Litchfield County Hospital and Winsted Memorial Hospital faded, Winsted saw the number of visits decline. Medical services moved out, and the center went bankrupt amid increasing health-care costs. A community group, the Winsted Health Center Foundation, took over, to restructure and reopen the facility as the Winsted Health Center.

These days, the foundation’s primary reason for keeping emergency services at the Winsted Health Center seems to be the group’s desire for control. Since the Winsted Health Center opened, the organization has maintained offices at the center, with a paid executive director, and has been the landlord, managing the rental of space to other health-care organizations. Ostensibly a community organization, the foundation has received criticism for operating in the shadows, invoking the rights of a private organization when shutting the press out of meetings.

During a recent meeting, the foundation formally asked officials from Charlotte Hungerford Hospital to wait on a plan to move emergency services to a proposed new building in Barkhamsted, just past the Winsted line. The foundation has offered to work on an alternate plan to keep emergency services at the Winsted Health Center complex, but specifics of that plan have not been announced.

The lack of information is not surprising. With little oversight, the foundation has failed to make significant strides in terms of filling empty space in the old hospital or increasing hours of operation. Those arguing for the move say the building’s age makes needed repairs cost-prohibitive, while the foundation has shown little interest in making creative investments or developing a marketing plan.

On Monday night, selectmen told CharlotteHungerford  representatives that they want the health center to stay where it is because of its importance to the local tax base — something no business is required to consider when choosing a location. More important is the center’s proximity to the downtown area and the Winsted Area Ambulance Association’s headquarters on Main Street.

Still, hospital representatives have agreed to give the foundation time to come up with an alternative plan, which would keep the Winsted Health Center intact. It will be a pleasant surprise to see that plan come to fruition.

Officials said they expect to make a decision by the spring of 2011 — or within the next six months — on which way to go. Don’t be surprised if things get ugly between now and then.