Malloy: Overhaul UConn Bioscience

FARMINGTON (AP) — Governor Dannel P. Malloy is proposing an $864 million plan that he says will transform the aging University of Connecticut Health Center into a cutting-edge hub of bioscience education, research, and jobs.

Malloy unveiled the proposal Tuesday at the Farmington center, where scores of physicians and other employees applauded as they lined open stairwells and a balcony overlooking Malloy and more than a dozen UConn and state officials.

The scene wasn’t new: Previous Connecticut leaders have proposed changes at the financially troubled health center over the years, too, with significant initial fanfare and limited success over time as financial concerns became barriers.

Malloy said Tuesday that the new Bioscience Connecticut initiative differs dramatically from those proposals, which he said were “too small, too late, too little, and did little for our economy.”

The new plan calls for a major renovation of the center’s John Dempsey Hospital to add a patient care tower and outpatient center; increasing student enrollment in the UConn medical and dental schools; significantly expanding the bioscience research and training facilities; and creating a student loan forgiveness program for graduates who set up practice in Connecticut.

“It’s not about [hospital] beds, and it’s not just about research, and it’s not just about students,” Malloy said of the new proposal. “It’s about the future of the State of Connecticut and what we aspire to be.”