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Residents urge council to act after announcement Yale Medicine will move some cancer treatments out of Westerly
Summary
Several residents told the council they are alarmed by Yale Medicine’s announcement that certain cancer‑treatment services will shift from the Smilow Cancer Center at Westerly Hospital to a regional facility; speakers asked the council to intervene and preserve local access
Several residents used the council’s Jan. 27 public comment period to press the town to try to preserve in‑town cancer‑treatment services after Yale Medicine announced plans to shift some treatments from the Smilow Cancer Center at Westerly Hospital to a larger facility in Waterford, Conn.
A speaker who identified herself as a community member and local health‑care advocate asked the council to intervene with hospital leadership, the medical system and state officials to keep treatments local. The speaker noted the center was established with hospital funding and community philanthropy in 2017 and said local patients rely on its proximity, especially older and less‑mobile residents who need frequent visits for chemotherapy and other infusions.
At the meeting several commenters argued the transfer is driven by reimbursement differences and will impose travel burdens on patients and families. One speaker urged the council to contact Yale Medicine leadership and request a public briefing on the rationale for the change and the transportation options the system plans to offer to affected patients.
Council reaction: councilors acknowledged the concern and asked staff to seek more information from hospital leadership and the regional health system. No formal action or vote on the issue was taken at the Jan. 27 meeting.
