Numerous members of the community board for Saint Francis Hospital in Hartford, Conn., have resigned, CT Mirror reported Sept. 10.
The hospital is part of Hartford-based Trinity Health of New England. The community board “serves in an advisory capacity” and is separate from Trinity Health of New England’s governing board, which oversees all five of its hospitals, a system spokesperson told CT Mirror.
Board Chair John Kinney, who also served on the system’s governing board, resigned from both roles, according to the report.
“My fellow board members and I have seen the Saint Francis team make real progress over the past several months,” Trinity Health of New England Board Chair Walter Harrison said in a statement shared with CT Mirror. “We remain confident in Saint Francis Hospital’s future and in its partnership with the leadership team.”
Connecticut state Sen. Saud Anwar told the outlet he was informed an “overwhelming majority” of the 11 board members resigned during a Sept. 8 meeting. Mr. Anwar, who said he had spoken with several board members after the vote, attributed the resignations to concerns that Trinity Health of New England’s parent company, Livonia, Mich.-based Trinity Health, is “not prepared to invest the resources to make necessary improvements to Saint Francis,” according to the report.
“It is my understanding that they do trust the leadership of the hospital and the healthcare system in Connecticut, but they are extremely concerned that the leadership is only as good as the amount of funding and investment that Trinity provides,” Mr. Anwar told CT Mirror.
The report follows a leadership transition at Saint Francis Hospital in April, when Trinity Health of New England named Robert Roose, MD, interim president of the hospital and said it was also recruiting for other leadership positions.
“These changes come after months of hearing from colleagues, patients, community members and regulators who have raised important concerns and expectations,” Trinity Health said in an April 30 news release. “We brought in a nationally respected healthcare consulting firm to review our operations and practices to improve quality and safety. The Department of Public Health’s extended on-site presence at Saint Francis has reinforced the need for immediate and meaningful action.”
Editor’s note: Becker’s has reached out to Trinity Health of New England and will update this story if more information becomes available.
