This is the second of 10 vignettes about the top local stories of the year, as chosen by the staff of The Day.

Lawrence + Memorial Healthcare became part of the larger Yale New Haven Health network after a year of document filings and public hearings that culminated in state regulators’ approval of the affiliation on Sept. 8.

Hospital officials said the affiliation was necessary to help preserve local services and bring financial stability to L+M.

Since the approval by the state Office of Healthcare Access, an independent monitor has been chosen to verify that conditions of the affiliation are being met, and an independent consultant named to set price caps on fee increases. The approval also came with requirements that services be maintained at L+M and that Yale New Haven invest $300 million in L+M.

A coalition of union, consumer and health care advocacy groups has continued to argue for greater transparency and public involvement during the transition period.

Since the affiliation, the New London-based L+M has hired two neurosurgeons and a director of the psychiatry department, and has announced plans for additional medical specialists. The same electronic medical records system used by Yale New Haven also is being installed at L+M, and is scheduled to be in use by mid-January.

— Judy Benson