CT approves closure of labor and delivery at Johnson Memorial

The decision marks the second closure of a CT birthing unit within the last year.

The state Office of Health Strategy announced a final decision on Thursday to approve the termination of labor and delivery services at Johnson Memorial Hospital in Stafford.

Under the terms of the settlement, Johnson Memorial Hospital, owned by Trinity Health of New England, must hire an independent third party to assess the need for and feasibility of establishing a free-standing birth center, an alternative to traditional hospitals for low-risk pregnancies, in the hospital’s service area. The hospital must “support” the establishment of a birthing center if the study deems services needed and feasible.

According to some of the other measures in the agreement, Johnson Memorial must also maintain prenatal, postpartum and wraparound services, as well as provide free transportation to patients for labor and delivery at any hospital within a 50 mile radius.

“This agreement permits termination of labor and delivery services at the hospital but holds Johnson Memorial Hospital accountable to the community they serve and to the State of Connecticut for maintaining access to all levels of maternal and infant health care,” said OHS commissioner Deidre Gifford in a statement released by the agency.

“We appreciate the thorough process that OHS went through to make the decision, and we remain committed to partnering with state officials to further our efforts to provide safe, high-quality care to the greater Stafford community,” said Kaitlin Rocheleau, a spokesperson with Trinity Health of New England, in emailed comments.

State legislators who represent Stafford said they were disappointed with the state’s decision and concerned about the burden it would place on families in the area.

“As a doctor and a state senator, I’ve fought to preserve Johnson Memorial Hospital’s labor and delivery services in our region. These services are vital to expectant mothers and families who cannot otherwise access this care or easily be transported elsewhere in emergencies,” wrote Jeff Gordon, R-Woodstock, in emailed comments.

“This is a critical issue for our community, especially for expecting mothers and families in the region who rely on these essential health care services. The closure will place a significant burden on many who will now have to travel longer distances,” said Rep. Kurt Vail, R-Stafford.

Labor and delivery in rural CT

The decision marks the third application to close a rural birthing unit that OHS has considered in the past year, two of which it approved.

In addition to Johnson Memorial, the state approved the closure of the birthing unit at Hartford HealthCare-owned Windham Hospital in December of last year. The agreed settlement contained similar provisions to those in the settlement with Johnson Memorial, including that Windham Hospital must hire an independent third party to assess the need for and feasibility of establishing a free-standing birth center in the area. The study, which will be conducted by Guidehouse Inc., began last month, according to a statement by OHS.

In February, the state denied an application from Nuvance Health to close labor and delivery at Sharon Hospital. Nuvance Health is currently seeking state approval for a merger with New York-based Northwell Health, and the parties have committed to keeping labor and delivery open for at least five years as part of a deal with state Attorney General William Tong.

Johnson Memorial stopped delivering babies in April 2020 under an executive order issued by Gov. Ned Lamont allowing hospitals to temporarily shut down services to increase capacity for COVID patients. It briefly resumed services for a few months later that year, and applied to close the unit permanently in September 2022.

Johnson Memorial currently faces a potential $153,000 fine for failing to resume labor and delivery services when the executive order expired. The state’s decision regarding the civil penalty is still pending.