With Merged Hospitals, What Happens to Naugatuck Medical Facility?

The that a for-profit company would now be overseeing the merger of Saint Mary’s and Waterbury hospitals — — left one question for Naugatuck residents: what about the planned medical facility in Naugatuck?

“This is up to the Board (of Directors),” said Robert Mazaika, chairman of the Saint Mary’s Hospital task force that discussed the merger with Waterbury Hospital.

A longtime promise from Saint Mary’s was the hospital would finance the construction of its own off-site , the Brownfield in downtown Naugatuck that has been cleaned up over the past year.

It has been considered one of the in the massive Renaissance Place project, which is a plan to renovate downtown Naugatuck to attract businesses and residents.

Mazaika said he didn’t think venture with LHP Hospital Group Inc. — a Texas-based for-profit hospital company that plans to assume 80 percent ownership over the new hospital — would affect the plans for other areas the two hospitals service.

Naugatuck, he noted, was one of those areas.

“If (the medical facility) made financial sense before then I think it’ll make financial sense to continue with one of those kinds of centers,” Mazaika said.

The Saint Mary’s facility has been on virtual hold until the borough finances the construction of a parking garage on the property. This has been in the works, as toward the planning phase, and hopes to gain more financing for the project through public dollars.

Mayor Robert Mezzo said Tuesday borough officials hope to begin communication with the new hospital backers to find out how it will affect the medical facility project in Naugatuck.
Mezzo said he felt the merger would strengthen both hospitals, and improve the financial prospects for the proposed Naugatuck facility.