DKH/UConn Health: Negotiations are next
By Linda Lemmon
Town Crier Editor
The long, long awaited affiliation for Day Kimball Health took one giant step forward when state representatives, state senators, hospital officials and town officials praised the legislatively arranged affiliation between Day Kimball Hospital and UConn Health.
Pat Boyd, D-Pomfret, said: “This is huge because it ensures that there is going to be healthcare in rural part of the state. We have long known that day Kimball needed a partner — but it had to be the right partner.”
House Bill 8001, “An Act Concerning the University of Connecticut Health Center Joint Venture Initiative,” which amends the bonding authority of the University of Connecticut 2000 Act by $390 million to not only allow UConn to purchase and operate the financially troubled Waterbury Hospital, but also to pay for deferred maintenance, information technology equipment upgrades, and working capital for five years at both Day-Kimball and Bristol hospitals once agreements with those hospitals are finalized.
Next on the agenda, Boys said is that “The UConn Health Board and DKH Board will need to negotiate an agreement on services, governance, and other details. Once both boards vote on the agreement, DKH will need to hold a meeting of its Cooperators to vote. HB-8001 addressed the funding and bonding aspect and allows UConn to use the money through the UConn 2000 program for capital at DKH.”
Day Kimball CEO R. Kyle Kramer said he expects the affiliation agreement with UConn Health to be finalized and in effect within a year, by the fall of 2026; the first improvements he hopes to see at Day Kimball as a result of the partnership are the installation of energy-efficient, double pane windows; upgraded electrical back-up generator systems; a re-location of the hospital’s main entrance; insurance and supply cost savings; and a modernized patients records system. He added he sees easier access to more specialized medical procedures and advanced staff training opportunities to follow.
Kramer said: “We wouldn’t be headed toward this partnership without the tremendous and steadfast support of Senator Mae Flexer and Representative Pat Boyd. It is their leadership and their steadfast service to our community that has put us in this position to have this opportunity. They have stood with us for the long haul on so many levels, and in particular have been stalwart in securing appropriated funds that have allowed us to continue service as well. We couldn’t have done it without Mae and Pat.”
Boyd said HB 8001 is the culmination of four years of hard work and millions of dollars in state support to keep the lights on at DKH. This merger will bring long-term stability to Day Kimball while strengthening and enhancing the UConn Health System across the State.”
Flexer said: “This is going to be a new day for UConn Health and for Day Kimball Hospital. It’s going to mean stability for healthcare delivery in our corner of the state. It’s going to mean access to more specialty care and more healthcare options across our region. It’s going to provide a level of service that people of this part of the state deserve.”
Board Chair Peter Deary said: “Access to high-quality, local healthcare is not just a convenience, it’s a lifeline for the people who live and work in northeastern Connecticut. For more than 130 years, Day Kimball has been not just a vital resource for northeastern Connecticut, but also to our neighbors in nearby Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Boyd added: “Over the last five years, millions and millions of dollars of state funds have been allocated through the budget process to keep Day Kimball services active. And being one of the last true independent hospitals in Connecticut  that means something. All you have to do is just turn on the news and you look at a number of other hospital facilities across the state and the massive reduction of services and the consolidations there. This is not just another affiliation; I think this is the right one, because it’s mutually beneficial. Going forward, things are looking good. Now we need to work through the other process, work out the arrangements, work out the governance pieces.”

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State, hospital, and town officials held a press event last week to announce the bill that would create an affiliation between UConn Health and Day Kimball Health. Linda Lemmon photo.

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