UConn’s Maric lectures Lamont on future of UConn Health as Governor searches for financial relief from annual deficits. Scientist predicts apocalypse in Farmington.

University of Connecticut President Radenka Maric must have been ill-prepared for her October meeting with Governor Ned Lamont to discuss the future of Farmington-based UConn Health. On October 26th, Maric, Board of Trustees Chair Daniel Toscano, Trustee and UConn Health Board of Directors Chair Sanford Cloud and UConn Health Interim CEO Bruce T. Laing signed a letter acknowledging Lamont’s interest in “issuing an RFI or RFP to explore alternative option for the clinical enterprise at UConn Health.” The letter then dives into a long explanation on why Lamont would be wrong to proceed, raising points she ought to have fluently made at the meeting.

The quartet told Lamont, “We are extremely concerned that if any responses include selling the clinical enterprise [the hospital], the two schools’ [medical and dental] accreditation–and therefore their ability to continue to operate–could be in considerable jeopardy.” This is the last resort nonsense argument. Harvard Medical School, like many medical schools, does not own or operate a hospital and is in no jeopardy of losing its accreditation. The world renown school has, according to its website, “agreements with 15 clinical affiliates and research institutes, vital partners that provide patient care and clinical training.”

UConn Health remains a costly drain on state finances. That’s why earlier this year Lamont publicly asked State Comptroller Sean Scanlon to explore options for the hospital’s future without annual bailouts from taxpayers. Maric’s letter inadvertently emphasized in bold the hospital’s continuing financial troubles. It claims UConn’s 10-year financial forecast predicts state support will decline to $105.4 million in 2033. By its own estimate, UConn Health will require more than $1 billion in taxpayer support in the next decade. The letter omits Lamont’s support for the state to take on UConn and UConn Health’s pension and retiree benefit costs.

Maric and company “question the need to issue a broad RFP or RFI, particularly because, as you know, we fear this will cause significant damage to UConn Health including its schools, its reputation, and most importantly, retention and recruitment of the best and brightest faculty, staff and students, many of whom build their lives and careers in Connecticut.” Maric, a scientist and UConn’s former vice president for research, innovation and entrepreneurship, favors sclerosis.

Maric, Toscano, Cloud and Laing may have had only a flash of alarm over Lamont’s plans to seek options and ideas. The day before the letter was sent to him, UConn’s Board of Trustees met. There is no mention of the issue on the agenda or in the draft of minutes to be adopted at December 7th’s meeting. Those minutes state under UConn Health activities, “There was no Report on Committee activities.”

The agenda for the December 7th trustees meeting lists the monthly item on UConn Health activities, but no attachments of information for trustees and the public.

October’s draft minutes include a reference to an executive session–and a dodgy justification for secrecy. It states the reason for the closed meeting was “Preliminary drafts or notes provided the public agency has determined that the public interest in withholding such documents clearly outweighs the public interest in disclosure.” To retreat into an executive session to discuss the draft of a letter would be an extraordinary abuse of the law by a public university. UConn’s trustees and its powerful bureaucracy would know that.

Nearly three weeks after requesting a copy of the October 26th letter to Governor Lamont, UConn had not provided a copy of it as of publication of this story. Daily Ructions obtained it by other means.

Published December 5, 2023.

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