Hartford HealthCare Makes Major Announcement

Hartford, Conn. (April 27, 2026) – Hartford HealthCare announces a transformative investment to reinvent the system’s flagship hospital, Hartford Hospital, into a premier, quaternary academic medical center. Investing nearly 1 billion dollars in Hartford Hospital’s campus, Hartford HealthCare is expanding access, advancing innovation, and creating world-class spaces that put patients, families and the community first at every moment of care.

“This is far more than a building project. This is a massive investment in our community and for the future of health care in Hartford and Connecticut,” says Jeffrey A. Flaks, President & CEO of Hartford HealthCare. “This new vision will be the most advanced, most sophisticated hospital campus anywhere in the country and will deliver exceptional, more accessible care for generations to come.”

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The announcement came at Hartford Hospital’s annual Black & Red which raised 4.3 million dollars in support of Health, Healing & Community in the Hartford Region. The sold-out event welcomed more than 1,200 guests to The Bushnell on Saturday, April 25th, and showcased Hartford HealthCare’s mission, to improve the health and healing of all.

For nearly 200 years, Hartford Hospital has been a center of innovation, hope and healing, bringing the greatest, most world-renowned experts in medicine to Connecticut’s capital city. This once-in-a-generation investment into the campus and community will include a new patient arrival center, a healing garden, 250 private smart rooms, three floors of state-of-the-art procedure space and a significantly improved emergency department. This investment goes beyond clinical impact, creating opportunities and reflecting Hartford HealthCare’s role as a major economic engine and committed partner to the city and state.

“This incredible investment in the Hartford Hospital campus emphasizes access to care, patient safety and the continued revitalization of our city and community,” said Cheryl Ficara, RN, MS, President of Hartford Hospital & Hartford HealthCare’s Hartford Region. “The plans will allow us to meet the needs of our patients by delivering advanced, high-quality care through expanded, modernized spaces of healing.”

At the heart of it all is the new Hartford Hospital tower, an in-patient and procedural facility that will stand as an iconic symbol for innovation, access, excellence, and a long-term commitment to the Hartford community. The tower, expected to open in 2031, will rise 14 stories above the city’s skyline and provide meaningful benefits for patients, caregivers, and the community.

Construction will begin next year and will hold 216 private inpatient beds. It will include a two-story atrium with public amenities and a direct connection to the new arrival center. There will be three floors of advanced, modern procedural space, including procedure rooms and prep and recovery bays that will support needs for electrophysiology, cardiac catheterization, gastroenterology, and ambulatory surgery care all while featuring leading-edge technology and innovation.

Hartford HealthCare is also expanding and renovating the Hartford Hospital Emergency Department. The redesigned space will directly address overcrowding, patient boarding, and patient flow to improve overall safety and access to care. It will include a new front entrance with reimagined areas for check-in, waiting and triage, and will be home to new treatment beds and a medical observation unit. A continuous awning will be the backbone of the building connecting each newly renovated structure to the next.

“We have the best health care in America here in Connecticut. We have the best people, most devoted, most talented people,” said Flaks. “This is going to bring people to work in Connecticut and going to support our local suppliers. This is a win, win, win and I couldn’t be prouder.”

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About HHC 2035

Visit the HHC 2035 website here: HartfordHealthCare.org/2035

About Hartford HealthCare

With over 48,000 dedicated colleagues and a bold vision for the future, Hartford HealthCare is transforming healthcare across Connecticut and beyond — enhancing access, affordability, health equity, and excellence. Spanning more than 500 locations across 185 towns and cities, our comprehensive care-delivery system is built to serve every community, every day.

From world-class hospitals—including two tertiary-level teaching hospitals, an acute-care community teaching hospital, an acute-care hospital and trauma center, and four community hospitals—to an expansive network of behavioral health services, multispecialty physician groups, urgent and virtual care, surgery centers, home care, senior care, rehabilitation, and mobile neighborhood health programs, Hartford HealthCare is there when and where it matters most.

Hartford HealthCare touches the lives of more than 28,000 people every single day, delivering unparalleled care through its unique Institute Model — bringing together leading experts in neuroscience, cancer, digestive health, heart and vascular care, orthopedics, and urology and kidney health to provide a unified, high standard of care at the most affordable cost.

Recognized nationally for patient safety and clinical excellence, Hartford HealthCare was the only health system in country awarded the prestigious Quest for Quality Prize from the American Hospital Association and boasts Leapfrog A-ratings across all its hospitals — making Hartford HealthCare one of the safest healthcare systems in the country.

Join us on our journey to redefine healthcare. Visit www.HartfordHealthCare.org and stay connected through our newsletters and social media.