Yale New Haven Health talking to South County Hospital about possible network expansion
Yale New Haven Health is in “very preliminary” discussions about a possible collaboration or partnership with South County Hospital, the last independent hospital in Rhode Island.
Vin Petrini, spokesman for Yale New Haven Health, said in a statement Wednesday that Yale New Haven, South County and The Westerly Hospital, which already is part of the Yale network, have begun reviewing “potential opportunities to collaborate on the provision of exceptional patient care in southwestern Rhode Island.”
Since the discussions are at very early stages, he said he could not provide further details.
“All three organizations are focused on looking at solutions that would best meet the health care needs of patients,” he said.
Officials at South County, a 100-bed hospital in Wakefield, R.I., could not be reached for comment. Petrini said his statement was issued on behalf of Yale New Haven, Westerly Hospital and South County.
“We recognize that the emerging health care environment will require newfound creativity and innovation and to that end we are always open to working in a collaborative fashion with other health care providers to ensure those goals are met,” Petrini said.
Yale New Haven, Connecticut’s largest hospital network, extends into Rhode Island since adding The Westerly Hospital when Lawrence + Memorial Health Care in New London joined the larger network in September. L+M acquired The Westerly Hospital in 2013.
Joseph Wendelken, spokesman for the R.I. Department of Public Health, said the agency has not received any proposals from the two hospitals. If one were submitted, they would undergo review under two processes, the hospital conversion and the change in effective control processes, depending on the details of the plan.
"A change in effective control (review) is required when 50 percent of more change in ownership, assets, membership interest, authority or control," he said. That application would go to the Health Services Council, which would make a recommendation to the state Director of Health, who would issue a decision.
A Hospital Conversion review is required for a change of ownership or control of 20 percent or more a hospital's assets, Wendelken said.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
