Norwalk Hospital
Encyclopedia
Norwalk Hospital is a nonprofit, acute-care, community hospital in the Spring Hill
section of Norwalk
, Connecticut
. It is also a teaching hospital.
"Norwalk’s Radiology
Department is one of the few in the country with full digital imaging technology, and we recently replaced all beds with new state-of-the-art beds and transfer devices that both provide better care for our patients and ease of use for our employees," according to the hospital's Web site.
The hospital says it has the only publicly accessible Hyperbaric Medicine Center in the state, although seven other hospitals in Connecticut, including nearby Bridgeport Hospital
, also offer hyperbaric medical treatment and in November 2007, Greenwich Hospital
applied to become the eighth. Other offerings include an Occupational Health Services division, a "lobby pharmacy" (SWC Pharmacy), a Sleep Disorders Center and the Whittingham Cancer Center.
A redesigned and renovated "Childbirth
Center at Norwalk Hospital" held its grand opening in May 2006. The seven private birthing rooms have beds that convert to chairs for easier delivery, private baths and showers, recliners and rockers, flat-screen televisions, chair massages and a "private brunch for two with linens, china and champagne." In 2005, 28 twins were born at the hospital and one set of triplets. Brahms "Lullaby" plays over the public-address system each time a baby is born.
The hospital has a credit union
(Norwalk Hospital Credit Union Inc.), and an Occupational Health Services division.
Norwalk Hospital is affiliated with the Advanced Center for Rehabilitation Medicine, Inc., Honey Hill Care Center.
The hospital has a fully accredited, three-year residency program in both internal medicine and diagnostic radiology, one-year physician assistant residency programs in surgery and "education opportunities" in anesthesiology.
Norwalk Hospital manages and operates the 911 ambulance service for the City of Norwalk, annually responding to over 9,000 calls for medical assistance. Additionally, Norwalk Hospital provides paramedic services to the towns of Wilton, Weston, Westport, and New Canaan.
The Department of Medicine sponsors subspecialty fellowship training programs in Gastroenterology
, Nutrition
, Pulmonary, Sleep and Critical Care Medicine. The Section of Pulmonary Medicine also sponsors a School of Respiratory Care in conjunction with the Norwalk Community College.
The hospital had 1,600 employees in 2005. The president is Geoffrey Cole. The hospital is licensed for 366 beds, which may be more than it currently has.
Norwalk Hospital is a major landowner in the Spring Hill neighborhood. Aside from the land on which the hospital buildings are located, the hospital owns more than a dozen parcels totaling roughly six acres on Truman, Stevens and Maple streets, Magnolia Avenue and Rhodonolia. The parcels contain houses, condominiums and medical facilities.
On July 31, 2007, presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani visited the hospital to talk about his health-care policy proposals. He held a news conference in the hospital lobby and met with nine physicians and two administrators in a roundtable discussion.
In May 2008 the Health and Wellness Center of Norwalk Hospital opened in the i.park Norwalk office park spanning the Norwalk-Wilton
border on Route 7. Three medical practices agreed to staff the 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) space, which will offer medical and wellness services and the offices of primary care physicians, obstetricians/gynecologists and other specialists, according to the hospital. Before the opening, hospital officials said they planned to have clinical support services and community programs at the site, including laboratories, radiology and physical therapy. The wellness center space includes a rooftop Japanese garden, bamboo trees and a two-story atrium with natural lighting.
In April 2007 the hospital announced that its principal location on Maple Street would be renovated and four new medical facilities are to be created, three in Norwalk and one in the Georgetown, Connecticut
community that covers parts of Redding
, Ridgefield
, Weston
and Wilton, Connecticut
. The Georgetown facility would have 30,000- to 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) of space.
Also in Norwalk, at the corner of Maple Street and West Avenue, the hospital plans a 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) "Musculoskeletal Institute" to be opened in 2008. Cole, the hospital president, said the facility will provide "the most comprehensive range of musculoskeletal services in our region". The hospital also plans to open another 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) location for medical and office space on West Avenue by 2010.
From 1907 to 1974 the hospital ran a nursing education program that graduated a total of about 1,000 graduates (in 1937, for instance, there were four graduates). By the 1970s, university nursing programs had become so popular that the hospital decided it didn't want to compete with them and ended the school. In 2007 a 100th anniversary reunion was held at the hospital. About 350 alumni and guests attended the ceremonial installation of a plaque with the names of the graduates.
Spring Hill (Norwalk)
Spring Hill is a section of Norwalk, Connecticut named after the hill on which most of the neighborhood sits. The neighborhood is located west of the Central section of Norwalk, across U.S. Route 7 and north of Interstate 95 and U.S. Route 1. Norwalk Hospital is on the eastern edge of the...
section of Norwalk
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
. It is also a teaching hospital.
"Norwalk’s Radiology
Radiology
Radiology is a medical specialty that employs the use of imaging to both diagnose and treat disease visualized within the human body. Radiologists use an array of imaging technologies to diagnose or treat diseases...
Department is one of the few in the country with full digital imaging technology, and we recently replaced all beds with new state-of-the-art beds and transfer devices that both provide better care for our patients and ease of use for our employees," according to the hospital's Web site.
The hospital says it has the only publicly accessible Hyperbaric Medicine Center in the state, although seven other hospitals in Connecticut, including nearby Bridgeport Hospital
Bridgeport Hospital
Bridgeport Hospital is a private, not-for-profit general medical and surgical hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is a member of the Yale New Haven Health System, and affiliated with the Yale University School of Medicine.-Description:...
, also offer hyperbaric medical treatment and in November 2007, Greenwich Hospital
Greenwich Hospital (Connecticut)
Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut, is a community hospital serving people in lower Fairfield County and in lower Westchester County New York....
applied to become the eighth. Other offerings include an Occupational Health Services division, a "lobby pharmacy" (SWC Pharmacy), a Sleep Disorders Center and the Whittingham Cancer Center.
A redesigned and renovated "Childbirth
Childbirth
Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the birth of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus...
Center at Norwalk Hospital" held its grand opening in May 2006. The seven private birthing rooms have beds that convert to chairs for easier delivery, private baths and showers, recliners and rockers, flat-screen televisions, chair massages and a "private brunch for two with linens, china and champagne." In 2005, 28 twins were born at the hospital and one set of triplets. Brahms "Lullaby" plays over the public-address system each time a baby is born.
The hospital has a credit union
Credit union
A credit union is a cooperative financial institution that is owned and controlled by its members and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at competitive rates, and providing other financial services to its members...
(Norwalk Hospital Credit Union Inc.), and an Occupational Health Services division.
Norwalk Hospital is affiliated with the Advanced Center for Rehabilitation Medicine, Inc., Honey Hill Care Center.
The hospital has a fully accredited, three-year residency program in both internal medicine and diagnostic radiology, one-year physician assistant residency programs in surgery and "education opportunities" in anesthesiology.
Norwalk Hospital manages and operates the 911 ambulance service for the City of Norwalk, annually responding to over 9,000 calls for medical assistance. Additionally, Norwalk Hospital provides paramedic services to the towns of Wilton, Weston, Westport, and New Canaan.
The Department of Medicine sponsors subspecialty fellowship training programs in Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology
Gastroenterology is the branch of medicine whereby the digestive system and its disorders are studied. The name is a combination of three Ancient Greek words gaster , enteron , and logos...
, Nutrition
Nutrition
Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthy diet....
, Pulmonary, Sleep and Critical Care Medicine. The Section of Pulmonary Medicine also sponsors a School of Respiratory Care in conjunction with the Norwalk Community College.
The hospital had 1,600 employees in 2005. The president is Geoffrey Cole. The hospital is licensed for 366 beds, which may be more than it currently has.
Norwalk Hospital is a major landowner in the Spring Hill neighborhood. Aside from the land on which the hospital buildings are located, the hospital owns more than a dozen parcels totaling roughly six acres on Truman, Stevens and Maple streets, Magnolia Avenue and Rhodonolia. The parcels contain houses, condominiums and medical facilities.
On July 31, 2007, presidential candidate Rudolph Giuliani visited the hospital to talk about his health-care policy proposals. He held a news conference in the hospital lobby and met with nine physicians and two administrators in a roundtable discussion.
In May 2008 the Health and Wellness Center of Norwalk Hospital opened in the i.park Norwalk office park spanning the Norwalk-Wilton
Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...
border on Route 7. Three medical practices agreed to staff the 100000 square feet (9,290.3 m²) space, which will offer medical and wellness services and the offices of primary care physicians, obstetricians/gynecologists and other specialists, according to the hospital. Before the opening, hospital officials said they planned to have clinical support services and community programs at the site, including laboratories, radiology and physical therapy. The wellness center space includes a rooftop Japanese garden, bamboo trees and a two-story atrium with natural lighting.
Areas of Specialization
The hospital says it offers these specialized services:- Inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services
- Inpatient and outpatient addictionSubstance dependenceThe section about substance dependence in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders does not use the word addiction at all. It explains:...
rehabilitation - Newly completed outpatient Cancer Center
- Emergency Department with Level 2 Trauma Accreditation
- Hospital-based Emergency Medical Service, considered one of the best in the state
- Inpatient and ambulatory surgery
- Sleep Disorder Laboratory
- Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit
- Hyperbaric Medicine Center
Expansion plans
Georgetown, Connecticut
Georgetown is a village and census-designated place in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is located at the point where the towns of Wilton, Redding, Ridgefield, and Weston meet....
community that covers parts of Redding
Redding, Connecticut
Mark Twain, a resident of the town in his old age, contributed the first books for a public library which was eventually named after him.-Government:...
, Ridgefield
Ridgefield, Connecticut
Ridgefield is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. Situated in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains, the 300-year-old community had a population of 24,638 at the 2010 census. The town center, which was formerly a borough, is defined by the U.S...
, Weston
Weston, Connecticut
Weston is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut. The population was 10,179 at the 2010 census. The town is served by Route 57 and Route 53, both of which run through the town center. About 19% of the town's workforce commutes to New York City, about to the southwest.Like many towns in...
and Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton, Connecticut
Wilton is a town nestled in the Norwalk River Valley in southwestern Connecticut in the United States. It is located in Fairfield County. As of the 2010 census, the town population was 18,062. In 2007, it was voted as one of CNN Money's "Best Places to Live" in the United States.Located along...
. The Georgetown facility would have 30,000- to 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) of space.
Also in Norwalk, at the corner of Maple Street and West Avenue, the hospital plans a 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) "Musculoskeletal Institute" to be opened in 2008. Cole, the hospital president, said the facility will provide "the most comprehensive range of musculoskeletal services in our region". The hospital also plans to open another 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) location for medical and office space on West Avenue by 2010.
Honey Hill Care Center
"Honey Hill is a 130-bed combination of extended nursing care facility and short-term rehabilitation program," according to the Norwalk Hospital Web site. The nursing home offers extended care, including to the elderly with dementia. The nursing home offers rehabilitation services, including physical, occupational, and speech therapy, stroke and neurological rehabilitation.Individual patient-created Web pages
The hospital became the first in the state to offer "CarePages" -- Web pages that patients themselves create to communicate with friends and family while they are in the hospital. The service was announced by the hospital in April 2006, with a pilot program in the Childbirth Center for families with babies in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit. "Patients or family members can update the Web page without repeated phone calls to share their news," according to a hospital news release. "All registered guests are automatically e-mailed when an update is posted, allowing the patient or family member to spend less time on the phone." Laptops or other computers are available for patients to use, and photo galleries can also be created.History
The hospital was founded in 1892 and opened in 1893.From 1907 to 1974 the hospital ran a nursing education program that graduated a total of about 1,000 graduates (in 1937, for instance, there were four graduates). By the 1970s, university nursing programs had become so popular that the hospital decided it didn't want to compete with them and ended the school. In 2007 a 100th anniversary reunion was held at the hospital. About 350 alumni and guests attended the ceremonial installation of a plaque with the names of the graduates.
Nearby hospitals
- List of hospitals in Connecticut
- Stamford HospitalStamford HospitalStamford Hospital is a private, nonprofit, community and teaching hospital in Stamford, Connecticut, with 440 affiliated doctors.The hospital has 305 inpatient beds in medicine, surgery, obstetrics/gynecology, psychiatry, and medical and surgical critical care units.As of 2005, Stamford Hospital...
- St. Vincent's Medical CenterSt. Vincent's Medical Center (Bridgeport)St. Vincent's Medical Center is a 397-bed acute care Catholic hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut.The hospital is now controlled by Ascension Health, the nation's largest Catholic and largest nonprofit health system, which is in turn controlled by several religious orders, including the Daughters...
- Bridgeport HospitalBridgeport HospitalBridgeport Hospital is a private, not-for-profit general medical and surgical hospital in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It is a member of the Yale New Haven Health System, and affiliated with the Yale University School of Medicine.-Description:...
- Greenwich HospitalGreenwich Hospital (Connecticut)Greenwich Hospital in Greenwich, Connecticut, is a community hospital serving people in lower Fairfield County and in lower Westchester County New York....
- Danbury HospitalDanbury HospitalDanbury Hospital is a 371-bed hospital in Danbury, Connecticut serving patients in Fairfield County, Connecticut and Putnam County, New York.The hospital has 3,300 employees. John M. Murphy, M.D...
External links
- Norwalk Hospital Web page
- Connecticut Department of Public Health
- Hospital Performance Comparisons a report released in February 2006 by the state Department of Health