City Council a 'mediator' in getting answers about L+M joining Yale-New Haven
New London — A coalition of health care advocacy, consumer and union representatives that say they’ve been “stonewalled” in their attempts to raise concerns about Lawrence + Memorial Healthcare joining the Yale-New Haven Health network has turned to the City Council for help.
“We’re trying to get answers to the questions we want to ask,” Dr. Stephen Smith, a member of the coalition, said Friday.
On Monday, the council’s Public Welfare Committee considered a letter from Smith on behalf of the coalition in which he asks that the committee schedule a meeting with the chief executive officers of L+M and Yale-New Haven to answer a list of questions about how the affiliation, approved by state regulators Sept. 8, is being carried out.
The questions pertain to the independent monitor and independent consultant required to oversee compliance and other facets of the agreement; the selection of a community representative to the L+M board; continued access to critical services and investment in projects to enhance community well-being.
In the letter, the coalition states that it has been “stymied” in getting answers to these questions from L+M, Yale-New Haven and the state Department of Public Health, so it “must depend on our elected officials to act in our stead on behalf of our entire community.”
City Council President Anthony Nolan said Friday that he is working to schedule a meeting between the Public Welfare Committee, where he serves as chairman, and representatives of L+M and Yale-New Haven.
“The only thing the City Council can do is be a mediator to try to get answers to the questions and concerns some people have,” he said.
Mayor Michael Passero said he believes the coalition has raised legitimate issues that should be addressed.
“The City Council and city government should be involved in what’s going on,” he said.
Passero said he is planning to meet in the next couple of weeks with Bruce Cummings, chief executive officer of L+M, and Marna Borgstrom, chief executive officer of Yale-New Haven, to discuss the affiliation and its impact on the city.
Vincent Petrini, spokesman for Yale-New Haven, denied that his organization or L+M have been unwilling to communicate with the coalition. But the hospital networks did not want union representatives involved in the meetings, while the coalition insisted they be included, he said.
“We respect and understand the role the unions play, but when we meet with the unions, our human resources people have to be there,” Petrini said. “But with respect to (the coalition), our offer to meet still stands.”
He said Yale-New Haven has been “reaching out to a broad range of community organizations” in southeastern Connecticut to talk about what the affiliation means for the region. In addition, a condition of the state agreement is that the hospitals conduct three to four public meetings annually on the affiliation.
“We’re open to these conversations,” Petrini said. “We’re fully committed to abiding by the affiliation agreement. That doesn’t mean we’ll be open to renegotiating the agreement, but we will be open to input about how we make community investments.”
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