Connecticut Attorney General William Tong has approved a merger between the Long Island-based Northwell Hospital system and Nuvance Health, provided that Sharon Hospital in Western Connecticut keeps its birthing center open.
Sharon is one of four hospitals owned by Nuvance Health. It had applied to close its birthing center in 2022, citing low birth rates and an aging community. That application was denied earlier this year.
A few months ago, Nuvance applied to merge with Northwell Health, which owns more than 20 hospitals and hundreds of outpatient facilities in New York.
The application sparked an antitrust investigation into the two hospital systems by Tong.
Tong and New York Attorney General Letitia James have approved that merger provided Sharon keeps its birthing center open for at least five years.
“Miles and minutes matter when it comes to labor and delivery, and I am pleased that Northwell has committed to preserving affordable, lifesaving care—especially maternity care—for Western Connecticut. This is a strong, enforceable agreement for healthcare access in Connecticut. I will continue to aggressively pursue all available tools, and to advocate for even stronger measures, to address any harmful impacts of healthcare consolidation for Connecticut families,” Tong said.
Other conditions include improving IT systems at the four Nuvance hospitals and individually negotiating insurance reimbursement rates with Connecticut and New York.
The merger must now be approved by Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy’s Certificate of Need regulatory process.
