Bridgeport Hospital

Bridgeport Hospital
Yale New Haven Health System
The front entrance of the Bridgeport Hospital
Geography
Location	Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States
Coordinates	41°11′20″N 73°09′59″W / 41.1888°N 73.1664°W / 41.1888; -73.1664Coordinates: 41°11′20″N 73°09′59″W / 41.1888°N 73.1664°W / 41.1888; -73.1664
Organization
Care system	Private
Funding	Non-profit hospital
Affiliated university	Yale University School of Medicine
Services
Standards	American College of Surgeons Joint Commission
Emergency department	Level II trauma center
Helipad	Yes
Beds	425
History
Founded	1878
Links
Website	http://www.bridgeporthospital.org
Lists	Hospitals in Connecticut

Bridgeport Hospital is a private, not-for-profit general medical and surgical hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is a member of the Yale New Haven Health System and affiliated with the Yale University School of Medicine.^[1]

Description

Bridgeport Hospital has 425 beds and 2,600 employees.^[2] According to the hospital's website, it has more than 580 active attending physicians representing 60 sub-specialties, 220 medical/surgical residents and fellows in programs affiliated with Yale University School of Medicine, and more than 360 volunteers and 400 auxilians.^[3] It is an American College of Surgeons-certified Level II trauma center^[4] and is equipped with a helipad.^[5]

According to American Hospital Association data from July 2010, Bridgeport Hospital receives 229,143 outpatient visits annually, 17,563 admissions, and 72,267 emergency room visits. It performs 4,539 inpatient surgeries annually, and has 2,608 annual births.^[1]

In July 2009 the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), rated the hospital best in Connecticut for congestive heart failure (CHF) survival.^[6] The hospital is accredited by the Joint Commission^[7] and has earned the Commission's Gold Seal of Approval.^[8]

The hospital is one of seven in Connecticut offering hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT)^[9] and operates the only specialized burn care facility in Connecticut, the 11-bed Panettieri Burn Center.^[10] Its Heart Institute is Connecticut's only nationally-accredited chest pain center.^[11] The hospital’s Norma F. Pfriem Cancer Institute, which includes the Norma F. Pfreim Breast Care Center and other cancer centers of excellence, delivers care to more than 1,100 newly-diagnosed cancer patients annually.^[12] It is approved by the American College of Surgeons as a Teaching Hospital Cancer Program,^[13] and is a member of the Yale-New Haven Cancer Network.^[14][15]

Blood Management Services,^[16] Bridgeport Hospital's bloodless surgery team, offers an option for patients who do not wish to use blood products from a blood bank.^[17]

At its satellite locations, the hospital provides blood and urine sample draws and urgent care. The Ahlbin Rehabilitation Centers provide physical, neurological, and cognitive rehabilitation services, including specialized services for young children and occupational therapy; wellness programs "to improve physical and emotional wellbeing"; firefighter fitness programs; ergonomic assessments; and back safety classes.^[18]

History

In the 1870s, Dr. George Lewis, a physician practicing in the city, persuaded his aunt, Susan Hubbell, to bequeath $13,500 and an acre at the summit of Mill Hill for the construction of a hospital, the first in Fairfield County, and only the third in the state. Before Bridgeport Hospital, "the closest thing to a hospital in the city was a facility in the basement of the future police headquarters, where infection and mortality rates were high among the emergency patients and poor residents who received care there," according to the hospital's web site.^[19]

The hospital was founded in 1878 when Bridgeport Mayor P.T. Barnum and other community leaders received approval from the state legislature to incorporate the institution. When a board of directors was named soon afterward, Barnum was elected its first president.^[20] On November 12, 1884, the new hospital began treating patients.^[19]

As of September 2010, Robert J. Trefry was the hospital’s CEO and president.^[3] The compensation package provided to Trefry by the hospital's board, reported at $2.5 million in 2009, drew criticism in the press for being considerably higher than the national median of $377,000 to $490,000, at a time when the hospital's $8 million budget deficit lead to layoffs.^[2][21][22] The Board defended Trefry's compensation package, saying the total was actually $1,073,300 that year, and that the remaining amount was a one-time tax adjustment on benefits accumulated over 17 years taken from Trefry's retirement account rather than the hospital's operating budget.^[23]

Trefry announced that he will retire as President and CEO at the end of September 2010.^[24] The hospital has announced that William M. Jennings, the president and CEO of SSM St. Mary's Health Center in St. Louis, will assume the post on October 1, 2010.^[25]

Nearby hospitals

• List of hospitals in Connecticut
• Yale New Haven Hospital
• Stamford Hospital
• St. Vincent's Medical Center
• Norwalk Hospital
• Greenwich Hospital
• Danbury Hospital

References

External links

• Official Website
• Connecticut Department of Public Health
• Hospital Performance Comparisons a report released in February 2006 by the state Department of Health