The Evolving Hospital Landscape of Southwest Connecticut

Southwest Connecticut residents are served by five hospitals—Greenwich Hospital, Stamford Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, Bridgeport Hospital, and St. Vincent’s Medical Center—which provide a range of services. 

But with a major proposed merger on the way and applications to grow and evolve some services across the many providers, these hospitals could look very different in a few years. 

Nuvance Health to merge with Northwell Health

Nuvance Health, which operates Norwalk Hospital in our region, in addition to two other hospitals in Connecticut, and three in New York, plans to merge with Northwell Health and create a “new integrated regional health system serving communities across two states.” 

Northwell Health is New York’s “largest healthcare provider” with 21 hospitals across the state.

Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, said in a statement that the merger would provide “an incredible opportunity to enhance both health systems and take patient care and services to an even higher level.” 

John Murphy, the CEO and president of Nuvance Health said this merger would enable them to take “a giant leap forward in our shared mission to enhance the quality, accessibility and equity of the health care we provide to our communities.” 

“This agreement enables us to make significant improvements to health outcomes for community hospitals and to deliver unparalleled care and drive positive change in the healthcare landscape,” he said in a statement. 

The combined system would include about 14,500 providers and more than 1,000 “sites of care,” including 28 hospitals. As a part of the agreement, Northwell will “make significant investments in Nuvance Health.” 

However, a 2024 report from the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy found that hospital consolidation across the state between 2013 and 2021 caused “increased healthcare costs and prices for consumers.”

“Residents in affected regions also may have fewer independent choices for health care services,” the report noted. “Additionally, patients who are uninsured, paying out-of-pocket, or have private insurance are often the most affected.” 

The report also found that there was an increase in “high-profit services, such as cardiac musculoskeletal care,” while “low-profit services such as pregnancy/childbirth and behavioral health care services decreased at a faster rate.” 

The merger still has to be approved through the state’s Office of Health Strategy. In addition, the merger is also reviewed by the state’s attorney general, who is responsible for “investigating and enforcing anticompetitive conduct or other barriers that would limit affordable access to quality healthcare.”

As a part of that review, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong required the parties involved to preserve at least one of those “low-profit services”—preserving labor and delivery services at Sharon Hospital. Under the agreement, the merged health care service has to preserve, strengthen, and expand women’s health services including maternity and labor and delivery services at the hospital. 

“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,” Tong said in a statement. 

Investments at Norwalk Hospital

Separate from its merger with Northwell, Nuvance Health has unveiled plans to transform Norwalk Hospital. Its proposal calls for constructing a new seven-floor patient pavilion, which includes a “contemporized Family Birthing Center” and a level 3 newborn intensive care unit.” 

In August, the hospital received a two-year extension from Norwalk’s Planning and Zoning Commission to start construction on the project. 

Attorney Liz Suchy, who was representing the hospital, said the main reason the new pavilion was delayed was because they had to decide what to do with the Behavioral Health Unit first.

“There was a proposal to move the behavioral unit from the hospital campus off site,” she said. “That had to be reviewed by the appropriate state agency—that went on for some time and that request was denied, so the hospital then had to reconfigure and determine where the behavioral unit would be located in the hospital campus. It took some time to do that, but that has been resolved.”

John Sterry, the vice president for planning, design, and construction for Nuvance Health, responded, “no, not at all,” when asked if the merger would affect these plans. 

Sterry said the plan is to start construction in January 2026.

Additional Operating Rooms at St. Vincent’s

St. Vincent’s Medical Center issued a public notice that it intends to file an application with the state for an “increase of three operating rooms at its main campus.”

The hospital, which is part of Hartford Healthcare and is located at 2800 Main Street in Bridgeport, said the proposed project would cost about $14.25 million. 

St. Vincent’s is a Catholic hospital that became part of the Hartford Healthcare system in 2019 and is a 473-bed tertiary care center, meaning it can provide more specialized care beyond a primary care or a secondary care doctor. The hospital has an angioplasty program, a bariatric surgery center, cancer and orthopedic services, and a family birthing center.  

The application would have to be approved by the Office of Health Strategy. 

Some Expansions Not Welcome

Not all hospital proposals, however, to expand have been supported by local municipalities. Greenwich Hospital wanted to create a new “Smilow Cancer Center,” which would have enabled “Greenwich Hospital to provide oncology services to Greenwich residents in town rather than requiring them to go to other facilities outside of town or to the Smilow Cancer Center in New Haven,” according to the application. 

However, those plans were denied by the Greenwich Planning and Zoning Commission due to “concerns about traffic and the rezoning of residential properties into hospital use.” The hospital filed an appeal to get the ruling overturned, but Greenwich Time reported a judge dismissed the appeal. 

What Does This Mean for You? 

While ideally many residents won’t need to go to a hospital, there are some times that a hospital trip can’t be avoided, such as the birth of a child or a necessary surgery. It’s important to know what your options are and what quality of care you need. 

The hospitals in our region are operated by different healthcare systems, so it’s important to check with your insurance to see your coverage options. The systems include: 

• Yale New Haven Health: Bridgeport Hospital, Greenwich Hospital
• Stamford Hospital is an individual hospital, not part of any system. 
• Nuvance Health (which could soon be part of Northwell Health): Norwalk Hospital 
• Hartford Healthcare: St. Vincent’s Medical Center

Location also matters, particularly if you're in a community where there isn’t a hospital, so it’s good to see what the closet options are for you in a time of need. 

And finally, keep an eye on what happens with the Nuvance-Northwell merger and if that impacts services in the region.