FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe O’Leary | Joe.OLeary@cga.ct.gov | 508-479-4969

SENATOR ANWAR LEADS LEGISLATORS, TRINITY HEALTH EMPLOYEES SEEKING PAUSE ON COMPANY TRANSFER DECISION

State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), Senate Chair of the Public Health Committee, today joined a coalition of legislators to support Trinity Health medical professionals recently impacted by the company’s sale of its hospitalist and emergency medicine services departments to a private for-profit company. The medical professionals, with concerns regarding their careers, patient care and physician availability in Connecticut, called for a pause on Trinity’s transfers and increased clarity and information for professionals impacted.

Legislators joining the coalition included State Senators Jan Hochadel (D-Meriden), MD Rahman (D-Manchester) and Jorge Cabrera (D-Hamden) and State Representatives Cristin McCarthy Vahey (D-Bridgeport, Fairfield), his House co-chair on the Public Health Committee, Kaitlin Shake (D-Stratford), Kara Rochelle (D-Ansonia, Derby) and Maryam Kham (D-Windsor).

“With our health care systems under strain and stress, uncertainty like this decision from Trinity has caused does not help anyone – patients, physicians, or hospitals,” said Sen. Anwar. “This decision puts careers, quality of care and overall health services provided in Connecticut at risk. Trinity should do what’s right for health in Connecticut and delay this decision while providing more clarity to those impacted.”

Trinity terminated more than 100 employees at its four hospitals in Hartford, Waterbury and Stafford Springs in early January, informing them they had 90 days to sign with Vituity, the California company purchasing Trinity departments, or leave their employment, breaking a four-month termination notice in employee contracts.

Physicians, ARPNs and Pas were included in the announcement; those impacted have not received information regarding their future employment and scheduling.

“Employees were told they have 90 days to sign with Vituity or leave. The notice period is in direct conflict with employees’ 120-day termination notice period as stipulated in their contracts,” stated Dr. Gagan Singh, Regional Director for Hospital Medicine at St. Francis Hospital. “This decision will have detrimental consequences for public health, patient safety, and the well-being and retention of healthcare staff in the most underserved parts of the state.”

“The lack of transparency from Trinity Health has also left us in the dark about many critical aspects of our employment status,” stated Kaitlin Erickson, lead hospitalist nurse practitioner in the Inpatient Internal Medicine Department at St Francis Hospital.  “To this date, we have yet to receive any concrete information regarding compensation, benefits, or scheduling. This lack of communication and professional courtesy has eroded trust in an already challenging work environment.”

The medical professionals noted concerns about patient safety, understaffing and disconnecting patients from their regular physicians, with fewer staff members remaining seeing increased workloads. They also emphasized that the hospitals impacted were in underserved parts of the state.

Medicap professionals further noted that a number of those impacted are tied to their jobs through immigration status and student loan forgiveness programs.

“We ask Trinity Health to immediately reverse the terminations, reinstate the affected healthcare providers to their status prior to January 6 and engage in open and transparent negotiations between hospital leadership and the terminated healthcare providers,” stated Dr. Sama Alvi, St. Francis Hospital Hospitalist. “Only then, will we be able to address the underlying issues and concerns that balances the hospital’s operational needs with the well-being of its staff and patients.”

A full recording of this afternoon’s press conference is available here.