Headlines
As reported by the New Haven Register, May 17, 2011.
Malloy Unveils $864M Plan for University of Connecticut Health Center
By the Associated Press
FARMINGTON — Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is proposing an $864 million plan that he says will transform the aging University of Connecticut Health Center into a cutting-edge hub of bioscience education, research and jobs.
Malloy unveiled the proposal Tuesday at the center, where scores of physicians and other employees applauded as they lined open stairwells and a balcony overlooking Malloy and more than a dozen UConn and state officials.
The scene wasn’t new: Previous state leaders have proposed changes at the financially troubled health center over the years, with significant initial fanfare and limited success over time as financial concerns became barriers.
Malloy said Tuesday that the new Bioscience Connecticut initiative differs dramatically from those proposals, which he said were “too small, too late, too little and did little for our economy.”
The new plan calls for a major renovation of the John Dempsey Hospital to add a patient care tower and outpatient center; increasing student enrollment in the UConn medical and dental schools; significantly expanding the bioscience research and training facilities; and creating a student loan forgiveness program for graduates who practice in Connecticut.
“It’s not about (hospital) beds, and it’s not just about research, and it’s not just about students,” Malloy said of the new proposal. “It’s about the future of the state of Connecticut and what we aspire to be.”
The project is estimated to create about 3,000 construction jobs each year between 2012 and 2018, and about 16,400 permanent bioscience-related jobs in Connecticut by 2037, Malloy said. It’s also intended to help keep more doctors and dentists in the state to curb anticipated shortages in those fields.
The plan still faces financial hurdles, though, including persuading the General Assembly this spring to add $254 million to its long-term borrowing package. That money would supplement almost $340 million that legislators approved last year as part of a different UConn Health Center overhaul proposed by then-Gov. M. Jodi Rell.
Another component of the new package calls for $203 million in private financing, which Malloy described Tuesday as a blend of UConn fundraising and construction of a privately financed, privately owned structure at the center. UConn would occupy that building on a long-term lease.
Senate President Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, said legislative leaders had not yet met in caucus to discuss the $254 million in borrowing that would be necessary to kick off the work. It is expected to be addressed either in this legislative session that ends June 8, or potentially in a special session if necessary, Malloy said.
Some Republicans in the General Assembly have questioned the price tag, saying the state’s financial constraints and long-term debt load make them question whether starting a major project is wise.
Asked his opinion about those concerns, Malloy was blunt: “They’re wrong.”
“It’s not risky at all,” said UConn President Susan Herbst, who joined Malloy and others Tuesday to introduce the plan. “We are enthusiastically committed to this venture and very confident of its success.”
The announcement was the latest in a series of efforts to help the financially strapped state-owned health center and its John Dempsey Hospital.
UConn scrapped a plan in fall 2009 to merge the health center with Hartford Hospital after its trustees concluded they could not win legislative approval because of the cost and opposition from area hospitals and unions.
And last year, the $352 million plan championed by Rell stalled after the federal government rejected Connecticut’s application for $100 million in federal grants. That money eventually went instead to Ohio State University, although Malloy has said since his election that overhauling the UConn Health Center was one of his top priorities — with or without federal help.
Williams said Tuesday he did not yet know when legislators would address the question of the $254 million in new borrowing, but that they would be getting more details soon from Malloy.