Connecticut Hospital Association

23/07/2025

CHA celebrates the passage of Public Act 25-38, An Act Concerning Maternal And Infant Health Care, and Special Act 25-7, An Act Concerning Maternal Health, signed into law by Office of Governor Ned Lamont yesterday. Connecticut hospitals and health systems applaud the strong leadership of State Representative Kai Belton and look forward to continued collaboration to support the health and well-being of those giving birth, their babies, and entire families. 💙

Read CHA's full statement ➡️ https://cthosp.org/press-releases/cha-statement-on-maternal-health-bills-signed-into-law/

Learn about CHA’s Maternal Health Strategy ➡️ https://cthosp.org/issue/maternal-health/

Learn about collaborative efforts through the Connecticut Perinatal Quality Collaborative (CPQC) ➡️ https://cthosp.org/connecticut-perinatal-quality-collaborative/

22/07/2025

AI in action ➡️ Stamford Health is utilizing the technology to head off a health crisis from undetected heart disease. AI software analyzes CT scans to identify calcium buildup in coronary arteries long before the patient feels symptoms, giving patients and physicians time to target and prevent future complications. Learn more:

Their work is part of an overall mission to get information to patients in time for them to prevent a health crisis.

18/07/2025

CHA is again proud to support the Connecticut Menstrual Equity Summit hosted by The Diaper Bank of Connecticut! The August 6 event at the New Canaan Library shines a spotlight on improving access to period products — basic necessities fundamental to the health of menstruating people. State Rep Lucy Dathan kicks off the summit, followed by a presentation from Sister-Girl Foundation Inc-Empowering Women with Endometriosis and Cancer founder Shantana Hazel. A panel of advocates will also take an in-depth look at the implementation requirements of CT's Menstrual Product Law for schools.

Register and learn more: https://thediaperbank.org/ctmenstrualequitysummit/

17/07/2025

July is , a time to recognize the unique challenges that affect the mental health of all racial, ethnic, and cultural minority communities and spread awareness of the importance of access to quality care. Connecticut hospitals continue to collaborate with community partners to break down these barriers and address social and economic drivers of health, including stable employment, housing security, and access to nutritious food, to advance health equity across the care continuum.

14/07/2025

Accelerating progress in pancreatic cancer screening. Nuvance Health medical oncologist Dr. Richard Frank recently published a study that homes in on the connection between high-risk diabetes and pancreatic cancer, research he hopes will lead to routine imaging of patients with new onset or deteriorating diabetes.

“This is a seminal moment in cancer research,” said Dr. John Murphy, president and CEO, Nuvance Health. “Thanks to Dr. Frank’s vision, we now have evidence it is possible to detect pancreatic cancer earlier. This could transform how we approach screening for this devastating disease.”

What Frank says is the next step to standardizing these life-saving screenings ➡️

"I feel most proud of this (screening study), because I feel this could really move the field,” said Dr. Richard Frank.

10/07/2025

The inaugural statewide Health AI Championship, designed by leaders from Yale New Haven Health, Hartford HealthCare, Connecticut Children's, Nuvance Health, UConn Health, and Ga***rd Specialty Healthcare, proves the possibilities to innovate cutting-edge AI-driven systems to improve patient care and streamline operations are limitless. 🧠⚕️🏥

“This collaboration comes at the perfect time when AI’s potential to revolutionize healthcare has never been greater,” said Dr. Lee Schwamm, Yale New Haven Health.

Real-world applications of in hospitals today are countless, including:
🚩 Flagging imaging abnormalities that can detect cancer faster
🛡️ Protecting against drug diversion
🏥 Optimizing patient scheduling
💊 Assessing medication management
🩺 Simulating virtual patients in medical education

Learn about the championship winners:

“By collaborating with hospitals and health systems across Connecticut, we are pooling our expertise and resources to shape the right guardrails for trustworthy AI…”

08/07/2025

Perceived healthcare savings now will only lead to sicker patients and skyrocketing costs in the near future.

“All you’re doing is cost-shifting onto the backs of uncompensated care, which is paid for by the hospitals or paid by private insurance. These guys are not saving any money by pushing people off Medicaid. All they’re doing is cost-shifting,” Office of Governor Ned Lamont said this week.

State officials project that as many as 170,000 Medicaid beneficiaries — of the total nearly 1 million who rely on the program in Connecticut — could lose coverage in the wake of increased eligibility requirements. That’s nearly 20% of Connecticut’s Medicaid population who may have no choice but to delay care for chronic conditions and preventable illness, resulting in more emergency room visits and hospitalizations. Patients are counting on local leaders to protect access to care here at home. Connecticut hospitals and healthcare providers remain committed to collaborating with bipartisan lawmakers, state officials, and the governor to mitigate the impact of devastating Medicaid cuts.

Read more in Hartford Courant:

Top Connecticut officials pledged Monday to do what they can to fill the upcoming gaps from cuts in Medicaid and food stamps.

07/07/2025

Hospitals provide high-quality, 24/7 care to anyone who walks through their doors. That includes the currently 200,000 uninsured individuals and nearly 1 million Medicaid beneficiaries who call Connecticut home. As CHA, Stamford Health, and Trinity Health Of New England explain in CT Insider, neglecting necessary investment in Medicaid hurts hospitals and harms all patients.

Learn about HUSKY Health and Connecticut’s hospital tax, which supports the Medicaid program, in CT Insider’s explainer:

There are around 917,000 Connecticut residents enrolled in the various HUSKY programs, according to the state.

03/07/2025

CHA released the following statement regarding the budget bill that was approved today in Congress:

“The congressional budget reconciliation bill will have a seismic impact on healthcare accessibility and affordability. The repercussions of Medicaid cuts will reverberate throughout the nation’s healthcare delivery system, including here in Connecticut, and will be felt by all patients and communities, not just individuals enrolled in the program. Those costs will be borne not only by caregivers, but also by employers, their employees, the insured, and all Connecticut taxpayers. If the uninsured forgo preventive care that could keep them healthy or address chronic conditions, they are more likely to need acute care in hospitals, which treat all patients regardless of their ability to pay for those services, further straining our care delivery system. We applaud Connecticut’s congressional delegation for their strong opposition to this bill and Governor Lamont for acknowledging the significant negative impact on hospitals and the need to do whatever we can to mitigate its impact. Here in Connecticut, hospitals and healthcare providers across the state remain committed to working together with our bipartisan lawmakers and state leaders to do all that we can to protect care amid these devastating federal actions.”

03/07/2025

🎆 Important summer safety reminders for kids from Connecticut Children's ahead of the Fourth of July holiday 👇

🎇 Sparklers can burn
🏊 Supervise swimmers
🚲 Wear a helmet on bikes and scooters

Learn more about Connecticut Children’s Watch for Me CT campaign on FOX61:

From fireworks to water safety, an array of issues have been discussed and addressed by the team at the prestigious children's hospital in Hartford.

03/07/2025

The congressional budget reconciliation bill will have a seismic impact on healthcare accessibility and affordability. The multifaceted repercussions of Medicaid cuts would reverberate throughout healthcare and be felt by all patients, not just those enrolled in the program.

“In the end, those costs will be borne not only by hospitals, but also by employers and the employed or insured population and the rest of Connecticut's taxpayers,” Mark Schaefer, vice president of system innovation and financing, CHA, told NBC Connecticut.

If the uninsured forgo preventive care that could keep them healthy or address chronic conditions, they are more likely to need acute care in hospitals, which treat all patients regardless of their ability to pay for those services. To keep hospital doors open and the lights on, costs will shift to commercial payers, resulting in higher prices and premiums. More on the damaging proposals in the budget reconciliation bill:

As Congressional Republicans try to deliver a budget to President Donald Trump before the end of the week, opponents are making one last plea for a pause. The U.S. House of Representatives could vote as early as Wednesday night on the version of Trump’s Big, Beautiful Bill that cleared the Senate ...

27/06/2025

Community care teams (CCTs) are working across the state in local communities to improve healthcare outcomes, tackling challenges like housing and homelessness, access to mental health services, and helping patients with comorbidities.

This week, the Statewide CCT Forum: Resiliency and Results was hosted at CHA, bringing together stakeholders involved in running 18 CCTs in regions throughout Connecticut.

The event was cohosted by the Connecticut Behavioral Health Partnership (CTBHP) — which includes the Connecticut Departments of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), Children and Families (DCF), and Social Services (DSS) — and Carelon Behavioral Health (Carelon), CT Department of Children and Families Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services CT Department of Social Services

🔗Learn more: https://cthosp.org/news-and-publications/cha-weekly-update/weekly-update-june-26-2025/statewide-community-care-team-forum-resiliency-and-results-hosted-at-cha/