Hearing Set For May 12 On Cardiology Services At Danbury Hospital

DANBURY — The Connecticut Office of Health Care Access has scheduled Danbury Hospital for hearings related to its Certificate of Need (CON) application to bring angioplasty and open heart surgery to western Connecticut.

The public hearing will be held from 1 pm to 7 pm on Wednesday, May 12, in the auditorium of the hospital’s John C. Creasy Center for Health Education, 24 Hospital Avenue. This is the only opportunity for patients, family members, legislators, business and civic leaders, and other members of the community to speak publicly to support the hospital’s efforts to provide advanced cardiac interventions.

Anyone who wants to speak at the hearing should call Danbury Hospital’s Community Relations Department at 797-7247 to make arrangements. Since OHCA is expected to limit each person’s remarks to approximately three minutes, participants are asked to write down their remarks in advance to ensure that they convey the most important points.

Danbury Hospital strongly encourages community members who cannot attend to submit written testimony for the hearing, as well as sign the online petition at www.danburyhospital.org. Testimony should be addressed to: Commissioner, Office of Health Care Access, 410 Capitol Avenue, MS #13HCA, PO Box 340308, Hartford CT 06134, and delivered to: Danbury Hospital Community Relations Department, 24 Hospital Avenue, Danbury CT 06810 no later than May 3.

Community residents also are invited to attend the technical hearing for Danbury Hospital’s application, which is scheduled for 10:30 am on Tuesday, May 25, at auditorium of Veteran’s Home and Hospital, 287 West Street, Rocky Hill, where the hospital will present its formal presentation to support its CON application.

Danbury Hospital filed its CON application with OHCA in December 2003 to request permission to provide the standard of care for treating heart attacks — angioplasty — along with open heart surgery, because the time and distance it takes to reach these services in other communities poses significant risks for patients in western Connecticut, according to Paul B. Iannini, MD, chairman, Department of Medicine, Danbury Hospital. Since that time, nearly 25,000 people have signed petitions and written letters of support to demonstrate their desire to have Danbury Hospital begin angioplasty and open heart surgery in western Connecticut.

“Everyone in Connecticut deserves equal access to complete cardiac care. The public hearing will be one chance to speak publicly in support of Danbury Hospital’s efforts to provide advanced cardiac interventions. Please join us to offer your remarks and moral support for others speaking on our behalf,” said Dr Iannini.

“Right now, if you have a heart attack near a major heart center, you can get the help you need in just over an hour. But if you live or work in western Connecticut and nearby New York State, you will wait more than three hours to access the same level of care,” Dr. Iannini said. “Your survival and quality of life after a heart attack are largely determined by when you receive treatment.”