Connecticut health system moves to add two hospitals

UConn Health is continuing to expand its footprint.

The University of Connecticut’s academic health system this week announced a letter of intent to acquire Bristol Health. The two organizations have signed a letter of intent to come together, and Bristol hopes the transaction is completed in January, CT Mirror reports. Bristol Health is anchored by Bristol Hospital, a 154-bed facility.

Lou Auletta, Jr., Bristol Health’s board chairman, and Kurt A. Barwis, president and CEO of Bristol Health, shared the announcement of a letter of intent with UConn Health this week.

“While the letter of intent is non-binding, it represents an important step towards us becoming part of the UConn Health Community System,” they said. “The next step in this process is to develop a definitive agreement which will likely take some time.”

Auletta and Barwis also expressed gratitude to Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and his administration for their support of Bristol Health joining UConn Health.

Earlier in April, Day Kimball Hospital, a 104-bed hospital in northeastern Connecticut, announced plans to join UConn Health this fall.

Dr. Andy Agwunobi, CEO of UConn Health, said the addition of both hospitals will be beneficial to the organizations and their communities.

“This is an important step in strengthening partnerships that expand access to care and bring the expertise of an academic medical center closer to the communities we serve,” Agwunobi said in a statement sent by the system to Chief Healthcare Executive®.

Bristol and Day Kimball are independent hospitals and both organizations have been struggling financially.

Bristol Health had a -4.7% operating margin in 2024, according to a report released by the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy. It actually represented an improvement over the previous year, when Bristol’s operating margin was -10.2%.

Similarly, Day Kimball reported an operating margin of -7.9 percent in the 2024 fiscal year, according to the state report.

UConn Health and the two hospitals still must finalize the agreements, and Connecticut state officials also must review the transactions. The Connecticut Office of Health Strategy will review through the state’s Certificate of Need process.

Last fall, Connecticut lawmakers approved legislation paving the way for UConn Health to purchase the two facilities.

After lawmakers passed the lifeline in November, Connecticut state Representative Pat Boyd, a Democrat, hailed the measure to preserve Day Kimball.

“An affiliation with Day Kimball and UConn Health will expand services, increase access to care, and provide financial stability, allowing the hospital to continue providing essential care and remain a top employer in the area,” Boyd said in November.

It’s been a busy period for UConn. In March, UConn celebrated the completion of the acquisition of Waterbury Hospital. The hospital had been owned by Prospect Medical Holdings, which filed for bankruptcy. The facility is now known as UConn Health Waterbury Hospital.

Hartford HealthCare recently acquired two other Connecticut hospitals that had been owned by Prospect: Manchester Memorial Hospital and Rockville General Hospital.

After a slowdown in deals during the first half of 2025, more hospital mergers and acquisitions have been announced in recent months.

In the first quarter of 2026, there were 22 announced hospital mergers and acquisitions, according to data from Kaufman Hall, a healthcare consulting company. That’s the biggest first quarter number since 2020, Kaufman Hall says.

Many of the recent hospital acquisitions have involved organizations in financial difficulty. Nearly half (43%) of the hospital mergers that took place in 2025 involved an organization in distress, according to Kaufman Hall.