University Of Connecticut Health Center - Uconn Health Center

UConn Health (formerly known as the UConn Health Center) is the branch of the University of Connecticut that oversees clinical care, advanced biomedical research, and academic education in medicine. The main branch is located in Farmington, Connecticut, in the US. It includes a teaching hospital (UConn John Dempsey Hospital), the UConn School of Medicine, School of Dental Medicine, and Graduate School. Other smaller branches exist in Storrs and Canton. The university owns and operates many smaller clinics around the state that contain UConn Medical Group, UConn Health Partners, University Dentists and research facilities.

UConn Health Center has about 5,000 employees, and is closely linked with the University of Connecticut's main campus in Storrs through several cross-campus academic projects. UConn Health Center is part of a plan introduced by Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy, called "Bioscience Connecticut," and approved by the Connecticut General Assembly in 2011, to stimulate the economy in the state of Connecticut.

Health Care Services

UConn John Dempsey Hospital

UConn John Dempsey Hospital is a 137-bed university hospital that provides services in geriatrics, maternal fetal medicine, cardiology, cancer care and orthopaedics. The hospital is an acute care facility and operates the only full service emergency department in the Farmington Valley. UConn John Dempsey Hospital has an estimated impact of $582,585,000 on the local economy. The hospital was named after former Connecticut State Governor John N. Dempsey, after he successfully helped acquire funding for the academic hospital.

In the last year with available data, UConn Health Center had 8,653 admissions, 29,727 patients emergency room visits, and its surgeons performed 2,379 inpatient and 7,550 outpatient surgeries. The hospital operates a number of residency training programs for physicians, as well as a residency for pharmacy graduates.

Through Bioscience Connecticut, construction will begin in 2013 for a new patient care tower on the UConn Health Center campus, as well as renovations to the existing UConn John Dempsey Hospital. The projects are expected to be completed in 2016 and 2018, respectively. The buildings are expected to achieve silver certification by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED).

Outpatient care

With more than 450 physicians in more than 50 specialties, the physicians of the UConn Health Center form one of the region’s largest multi-specialty practice. Outpatient services include primary care, OB/GYN, dermatology. The UConn Center on Aging offers specialized services to aging populations. Clinic sites are located on the Farmington campus, and at satellite offices in West Hartford, East Hartford, Avon, Simsbury and Southington.

Through Bioscience Connecticut, a new ambulatory care center began construction in 2012 on the UConn Health Center campus, part of a $840 million state initiative. The 300,000-square-foot outpatient ambulatory care center was supported with $203 million in private financing, and will house existing services and support the work of new faculty that will be joining the UConn Health Center.

Dental care

University Dentists, the group practice based on the Health Center’s Farmington campus, provides preventive, corrective and restorative care for patients of all ages. In addition, the student and resident run dental services provide an affordable safety net for patients with little or no insurance.

The UConn Health Center is home to a modern Center for Implant and Reconstructive Dentistry that offers dental implant therapies and is engaged in research into bone growth and augmentation.

Correctional Managed Health Care (CMHC)

The Correctional Managed Health Care (CMHC) program, a partnership with the Department of Correction, delivers comprehensive managed health care to State of Connecticut inmates. Medical, mental health, dental and ancillary services are provided in all 18 facilities across the state.

Education

The UConn Health Center offers degree programs in medicine (MD), dentistry (DMD), and biomedical science (PhD); master's degree programs in public health and dental science. UConn Health Center also sponsors residency and fellowship programs that provide specialty training for newly graduated physicians, and continuing education programs for practicing health care professionals. Combined degree programs, such as the MD/PhD, DMD/PhD, and MD/MPH are also offered. Each year in Farmington, about 320 students work toward their medical doctor's degree (MD), 160 toward their doctor of medical dentistry degree (DMD), and over 300 towards their doctoral degree (PhD). The dental school is accredited by the American Dental Association. The MD program is accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education.

As the dental and medical schools took shape during the 1960s, their planners took advantage of their simultaneous evolution to forge links between them. Most notably, medical and dental students share an essentially common curriculum during the first two years of their four-year degree programs. During this period they study the basic medical sciences together. This experience provides UConn's dental students with a foundation in the biomedical sciences that undergird the dental profession. UConn Health Center graduated its first students in 1972. The current dean of the UConn School of Medicine is Dr. Frank M. Torti.

Through a variety of residency and fellowship programs, the School of Medicine provides postgraduate training for more than 550 newly graduated MD and DO physicians each year. Training occurs at UConn Health Center's main campus, as well as community hospitals, such as Hartford Hospital and St. Francis Hospital.

The UConn Health Center houses the Hartford Medical Society Historical Library. This history of medicine collection includes 19th century American monographs, serials, pamphlets, manuscripts and artifacts.

Research

UConn Health Center publishes research in neuroscience, molecular biology, molecular pharmacology, biochemistry, cell physiology, toxicology, and endocrinology, among other fields. The Alcohol Research Center at UConn Health Center is one of fourteen such federally supported centers in the nation; the Connecticut Clinical Chemosensory Research Center is one of five.

In 2010, the university established the Cell and Genome Sciences building, which includes its new Stem Cell Institute as well as cell biology and genetics research in its Center for Cell Analysis and Modeling and Department of Genetics and Developmental Biology.