Dive Brief:
- Staff at Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut may be able to keep their jobs if for-profit Prospect Medical Holdings of LA buys the not-for-profit hospital.
- A handout that was distributed to the staff and the public included a one-sentence statement that said, "All employees who wish to remain with the hospital will be offered the opportunity to do so, in their current positions."
- This is Waterbury's third merger attempt. The most recent merger deal, which was with Tenet Healthcare of Texas, fell through after state regulators imposed what Tenet called "onerous conditions," some of which had to do with job guarantees.
Dive Insight:
Although the statement by Prospect is far from binding, some staff members are feeling cautiously optimistic. Ramona Barnes, a 28-year Waterbury employee, told The Hartford Courant that employees were also told at an employee forum, "If you want to stay, you're welcome to stay."
In addition to making the above statements, Prospect has also seemed amenable to working with the local unions and to accepting the current collective bargaining agreements. "I'm a little cautious but I am optimistic that it's going to be something good for Waterbury Hospital," Barnes said.