Vernon, Conn.-based Rockville General Hospital's parent company, Prospect Medical Holdings, was hit by a cyberattack in August that exacerbated Rockville's financial struggles, the Hartford Courant reported Oct. 29.
Presidents from Prospect's Connecticut hospitals said Rockville's financial situation after the attack is "dire," and that the hospital might have to close if a pending deal to sell it to Yale New Haven (Conn.) Health is not finalized soon.
Rockville was grappling with financial challenges years before Culver City, Calif.-based Prospect's acquisition of it in 2016, the newspaper reported.
During the pandemic, Rockville had to significantly reduce its services and obtained state approval to suspend surgical services to create more room for COVID-19 patients.
Official records submitted to the state also indicate that Rockville had to close the majority of its inpatient units. According to the publication, in September 2019, the medical/surgical and intensive care units at Rockville had a collective total of 28 beds with staff. In September 2022, this number had dwindled to a mere 11.
During this span, the daily patient count in these inpatient units also plummeted from an average of 22 to fewer than one.
Now, over three years later, veteran staff members, union representatives and local legislators argue that services in the area the hospital serves continue to be constrained.