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24 HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | JANUARY 8, 2024 INDUSTRY OUTLOOK | HEALTH CARE Jeffrey Flaks is the CEO of Hartford HealthCare. HBJ FILE PHOTO Boosting workforce pipeline, new facilities, flexible care delivery key trends in 2024 there are plans to construct a new simulation lab at nearby Windham Hospital, which is owned by Hartford HealthCare, to help train students. Through formal agreements with Connecticut colleges, partner hospitals can serve as living clinical classrooms, Flaks said. "In 2024, look for a greater aware- ness of the importance of the ties between education and health care, including scholarships and opportuni- ties for hands-on training," Flaks said. Trinity Health Of New England, which includes St. Francis Hospital in Hartford and St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, this fall deployed a new virtual nurse care program to address the worker shortage and train new nurses. Patients receiving care through the program get treated by a direct care registered nurse, on-site nursing assistant or licensed practical nurse, and a registered nurse who visits a patient's room virtually. Through this model, experienced nurses can care for patients, coordi- nate complex care and also mentor nurses who are at an earlier stage in their careers, Montez said. Expanding footprints, services Connecticut's health systems have been expanding their footprints and how they deliver services — trends that will continue in the year ahead. Hartford HealthCare has been expanding into southern Connecticut. Work is underway on a new $50 million healthcare hub at 32 Knight St., in Norwalk, which is expected to be finished in the second quarter of 2024. Yale New Haven Health is building an $838 million, 505,000-square- foot neuroscience center on its St. Raphael Campus in New Haven. Workers started construction in the summer of 2022 and aim to finish in 2026. Patients will receive treat- ment there for a variety of neuro- logical ailments, from epilepsy to movement disorders. Trinity Health is in the midst of a $51 million expansion and renova- tion project at its Johnson Memorial Hospital campus in Enfield. Once complete, the S. Prestley and Helen Blake Ambulatory Care Center will create a comprehensive "hub" for outpatient services and include an upgraded surgery center with four operating rooms, recovery areas, and By Michelle Tuccitto Sullo msullo@hartfordbusiness.com I n the new year, Connecticut healthcare leaders say they will be focused on finding new ways to attract workers, expanding their foot- prints, and continuing efforts to provide care outside of traditional settings. All of that will happen as the state's largest healthcare providers try to shore up their financial positions, after several years of significant headwinds. The state's 12 health systems, which own 27 hospitals, physician practices and other providers, reported a combined $719.3 million operating loss in fiscal 2022, on $18.9 billion in revenue, according to the Office of Health Strategy. Two-thirds of health systems oper- ated in the red in fiscal 2022, as they faced rising costs from prescription drugs, contract labor, and salaries and wages. Meantime, all eyes are still on Yale New Haven Health's pending acqui- sition of three Connecticut hospitals — Waterbury, Manchester Memorial and Rockville General — owned by the financially ailing Prospect Medical Holdings company. The Hartford Business Journal recently asked three health industry leaders for insights into trends they foresee in the months ahead. They included Hartford Health- Care President and CEO Jeffrey A. Flaks, Trinity Health Of New England President and CEO Montez Carter, and Yale New Haven Health President and CEO Christopher O'Connor. Here's what they had to say. Creating career pipelines The shortage of workers, from nurses to doctors to allied health professionals, is a long-standing issue and hasn't been improving, according to Flaks. Connecticut's nursing programs graduate fewer than 2,000 nurses annually, but the state needs that number to be closer to 3,000 to meet demand, Governor's Workforce Council data shows. Flaks said the key to turning the shortage around is to create career pipelines by partnering with educational institutions. Multiple health orga- nizations are pursuing such partnerships, including Hartford HealthCare, which in July, joined forces with Eastern Connecticut State University. Eastern has launched a new undergraduate nursing program and CT health system operating and total financial margins FY 2019 FY 2020 FY 2021 FY 2022 Health system operating margins 0.82% -3.47% -1.63% -3.82% Health system total margins 2.78% 0.23% 6.41% -4.48% The margins are the combined financial results of the state's 12 health systems, which own 27 acute care hospitals in Connecticut, in addition to physician practices and other types of care providers. Source: Office of Health Strategy Chris O'Connor Montez Carter