#Middlebury #WaterburyHospital #YaleNewHavenHealth
New Haven, CT (Feb. 10, 2022) – Yale New Haven Health (YNHHS) and Prospect Medical Holdings, Inc. (Prospect) announced they signed an agreement for YNHHS to acquire two Connecticut health systems from Prospect. The agreement also includes the health systems’ related businesses, real estate assets, physician clinic operations and outpatient services, and it is subject to customary regulatory approvals, with both organizations targeting completion of the transaction later this year. Per the letter of intent, YNHHS is to purchase the assets and operations associated with the following hospitals that make up the health systems:
- Waterbury Hospital (AKA Waterbury HEALTH) in Waterbury, Connecticut, with 357 certified beds
- Manchester Memorial Hospital (AKA ECHN) in Manchester, Connecticut, with 249 certified beds
- Rockville General Hospital in Vernon, Connecticut, with 102 certified beds
ECHN and Waterbury HEALTH, with approximately 4,300 employees, would return to not-for-profit status, providing continued access to care at their campuses and outpatient care locations. The related real estate assets of the hospitals are to be released from the existing master lease agreement between the real estate owner and Prospect.
“As we begin to emerge from an international pandemic that has devastated many hospitals across this nation, it is critical that we think creatively about sustaining local access to high quality care,” said Marna P. Borgstrom, CEO of YNHHS. “Innovation has become a watchword for a post-pandemic healthcare environment, and we are all exploring clear opportunities to enhance access to high-quality care while driving down costs. While this is at a very early stage, our goal is to sustain critical access to vital healthcare services directly in these local communities.”
“We are excited about the opportunity to join YNHHS. We are proud of our accomplishments and appreciative of the significant investments made by Prospect to increase quality, preserve jobs and respond to the pandemic,” said Deborah Weymouth, CEO of ECHN.
Dr. Justin Lundbye, President and CEO of Waterbury HEALTH, said, “Waterbury is deeply committed to caring for our communities and adapting to the rapidly evolving healthcare landscape. Along with ECHN, we are proud of what we’ve accomplished, including investing millions of dollars in our communities, preserving jobs, increasing quality ratings, and being leaders in Connecticut’s response to the pandemic. We are confident YNHHS will continue this legacy.”
Under the proposal, the three Connecticut-based hospitals would become affiliated with the Yale New Haven Health System, similar in nature to Greenwich and Bridgeport Hospitals, as well as Lawrence + Memorial Health. As part of Yale New Haven Health, Waterbury HEALTH and ECHN will be able to enhance delivery of care across a wide spectrum of primary and specialty services.
Christopher O’Connor, president of Yale New Haven Health, said, “Working with our partners at the Yale School of Medicine, we believe this could create a seamless and integrated delivery system that would serve the best interests of our patients in the most cost-effective manner possible throughout the state of Connecticut and the entire region.”
As due diligence is completed and the organizations move towards a definitive agreement, Yale New Haven Health is focused on preserving jobs in the local communities, supporting employee pensions, and assessing the future capital needs of these facilities.
Keith Churchwell, MD, president of Yale New Haven Hospital, said “This relationship makes sense from a patient care perspective. We believe patients will benefit directly from the affiliation of these exceptional health systems with a Connecticut-based academic health system like Yale New Haven.”
Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC is serving as exclusive financial advisor to Prospect Medical Holdings on this transaction, and Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP is serving as its legal counsel.
