University of Connecticut Health Center

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The University of Connecticut Health Center is located on the site of the old O'Meara farms in the Farmington Heights section of Farmington, Connecticut. It is home to the University of Connecticut's schools of medicine, dental medicine, and graduate school in biomedical science. The Health Center, as it is commonly known, also houses John Dempsey hospital. The hospital offers the only ER in the Farmington Valley as well as a Level III Newborn Intensive Care Unit(NICU). The NICU is designated as a regional referral center for all high risk obstetrics and critically ill newborns. It is currently ranked one of the nations top 100 hospitals, and is one of only 15 hospitals nationwide recognized in the major teaching hospital category.

Recently the Health Center has gained notoriety for its fast-growing cancer program, which is headed by the President of the American Cancer Society, Dr. Caroline Runowicz.

[edit] Future

In 2007 University trustees approved plans to replace the existing hospital structure in Farmington with a new $500 million hospital at the same location. The new facility would house almost all hospital services, allowing the current facility to devoted more fully to academics and research. The new hospital would add 128 beds, for a total of 352.

Fierce opposition to the proposal for a new hospital is expected from other Connecticut hospitals, especially Hartford Hospital and Saint Francis Hospital and Medical Center, fearing a glut of facilities in the region. The Health Center is in an ideal location for tapping into the growing and wealthy market of the Farmington Valley. This is threatening to other hospitals who would rather see these well-insured patients seeking care at their facilities. ^[1]