Johnson Memorial asks OHS to OK end of outpatient cardiac and pulmonary rehab at Enfield site

Johnson Memorial Hospital, part of Trinity Health of New England, told an Office of Health Strategy hearing on June 11 that it seeks approval to terminate outpatient cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation services at its Enfield location after ceasing operations there in September 2025.

"The decision did not come lightly," Dr. Robert Roose, president of Johnson Memorial, said in his opening statement. He told OHS that the program experienced "sustained low utilization" and "substantial workforce constraints," including resignations, retirements and medical leaves that left the site unable to meet required clinical staffing standards.

Roose said the hospital has established transition protocols intended to preserve patient access. He said patients will be referred within Trinity Health of New England to on-campus programs such as St. Francis Hospital in Hartford and to other community providers, and that staff have coordinated communications with patients and referring clinicians.

OHS staff pressed hospital leaders for details about the timing and content of that outreach and for evidence the receiving providers can absorb displaced patients. Patrick McCormack, regional executive director for cardiovascular services, confirmed the staff began informal communications with referring physicians when staffing losses reduced the Enfield schedule and that written notices to patients and providers were sent around Sept. 10, 2025. McCormack described the program data submitted to OHS as a table of "unique patients," explaining that the table counts each patient once even if the patient had multiple visits.

Hearing staff also asked whether Trinity had confirmed capacity with other regional providers that hospital materials identified as potential options, including Harford Healthcare’s Rockville campus (Manchester Memorial Hospital). Hospital representatives said they had not had formal leadership-level discussions with Harford but noted there are longstanding local clinical relationships and that some patients already travel among regional programs.

Trinity told OHS it does not currently operate a formal home-based cardiac or pulmonary rehab program, but staff said they have met with at least one Connecticut-based vendor that provides remote, interactive home programs (equipment delivered to patients with remote monitoring) and that the vendor is a viable option; Trinity has not yet contracted with that vendor or referred patients to it.

OHS asked about transportation for patients required to travel from Enfield to Hartford. Carolyn Allessie, regional director for community health and well-being, described transportation supports including a Veo program (available to certain populations) and a grant-funded Lyft ride program for patients screened as having a transportation barrier. She said the Lyft program has operated for four years and is offered at no cost to eligible patients, but that utilization in Johnson Memorial’s service area is currently low.

Regulatory staff also questioned the alignment of submitted patient-frequency tables and fiscal-year charts and noted an EHR transition in November 2024 that complicates historical data. Trinity agreed to verify filters and submit clarification as a post-hearing (late) filing; OHS also requested more granular per-session cost data and, where possible, measures of patient compliance or outcomes tracked by referring physicians.

The hearing officer took administrative notice of relevant statutes and prior dockets and recessed the technical portion of the proceeding for a break. He said he will consider the record, any late filings and the statutory factors in making proposed findings and conclusions of law.

The Office of Health Strategy has not yet issued a decision on the certificate-of-need application. The hearing record remains open for specified late-filed material and written comments to co_comment@ct.gov for seven days from June 11, 2026.