CEO Update 25 July

Dear Colleagues,

This past week my senior leadership team and I participated in a facilities retreat to discuss our footprint and growth. Lots to think about as we plan for our future and growing needs. I won't go through all the details, but the reason for the retreat was to discuss the planned organizational structure and decision making for the UConn Health Community Network hospitals that you can see below. Currently UConn Health-Waterbury is part of the network and we are expecting Bristol Hospital and Day Kimball Hospital to join by the end of the year:

Also this week, I had the privilege of rounding at Solnit Hospital, the newest member of UConn Health (It's not depicted in the graphic above because it is within the John Dempsey Hospital license).

As a reminder, Solnit is a 50-bed inpatient behavioral health facility serving children and adolescents, primarily ages 13-17, located in Middletown. Historically operated under the Department of Children and Families (DCF), Solnit became part of UConn Health's hospital license on April 15, 2026. While the facility continues to be staffed and operated by DCF employees under a lease arrangement, it is now part of the UConn Health family.

Solnit serves a uniquely important role in Connecticut's healthcare system. It provides specialized inpatient psychiatric care for adolescents who often have few, if any, alternative options for receiving the level of care they need. As a result, Solnit is a critical resource for patients, families, referral hospitals, and communities across the state.

I want to pause and share that touring the facility, meeting the staff, and interacting with some of the adolescents was a profound experience. Two impressions stood out.

First, I was reminded of how important it is that we provide the very best care and support for these young people. That commitment extends beyond clinical care to include staffing, facilities, safety, therapeutic programming, and all aspects of the patient experience. To that end, we are working closely with DCF and the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) to strengthen services and operations. Planned enhancements include a comprehensive review of facility maintenance needs, automatic refilling of vacancies in direct-care positions, and the use of contract staff, including traveling nurses, to ensure adequate staffing until permanent vacancies are filled. In summary:

Our efforts have centered on:

• Workforce stabilization through accelerated recruitment, vacancy reduction, and enhanced staffing flexibility.
• Safety improvements for both patients and staff through strengthened security measures, staffing support, and operational oversight.
• Partnership and engagement with labor leadership and frontline teams to improve communication, transparency, and collaboration.
• Long-term sustainability through investments in facilities, compliance, and infrastructure improvements.

Overall, we have developed and are rolling out plans to address immediate operational challenges while laying the foundation for a safer, more stable, and sustainable environment for both patients and staff.

Second, I left with a renewed sense of mission and opportunity. We have the chance not only to care for some of Connecticut's most vulnerable adolescents, but also to help build Solnit into a world-class model of inpatient behavioral healthcare. Over time, we hope to further strengthen its role as a statewide resource and expand its capacity to serve more patients in need.

Most of all, the visit reinforced why our work matters. Every young person at Solnit deserves hope, healing, and the opportunity for a brighter future. I am proud that UConn Health now plays a role in helping make that possible.

Switching gears to UConn Health philanthropy, I want to give you a quick update on the amazing work of the UConn Foundation this year. As you can see from the graph below we more than doubled the fundraising of last year. In 2025 we raised $10.9 million; our original target for this year was $19 million, and we ended the year at $28 million. My thanks to the Foundation, particularly Daniel Sullivan, senior associate VP for development, and his team.

We are now halfway through our 2026 Employee Engagement Survey, and already one-third of our workforce (more than 1,700 of you) already have participated. Thank you to everyone who has taken time to share your perspective.

While this is strong progress, we are only halfway to our 65% participation goal. I am asking every employee who has not yet responded to set aside approximately 15 minutes and complete the survey now. You can access it through your unique survey link in your email, Employee Engagement Survey shortcut on your computer's desktop, or a QR code on our Take the Survey page on The Hub.

We also have several outreach events, including weekly pop-ups with music and food trucks offering lunch for purchase.

The survey remains open through Aug. 7, but please don't wait. Remember, a third party is administering the survey, thus protecting the anonymity of the responses. (Note, the employee pictured agreed to be photographed.) Your honest feedback will help my leadership team and me identify where we're doing well and where potential opportunities for improvement exist. Thank you for helping us reach our goal, and more importantly, for helping us build a stronger UConn Health together.

I have a patient letter to close with, praising Kathleen Pirozzi, one of our staff nurses (edited for privacy):

I [recently] came in for an endoscopy. I am hoping that there is a recognition program for the excellent care that Kathleen gave to me and how she went above and beyond to take care of me. She made me feel very safe and secure. Unfortunately, after the procedure I began spasming severely. Rather than wait for the pharmacy to deliver the anti-spasm medication she went and retrieved it so that it would get to me sooner to alleviate the excruciating pain that I was in.

I know your nurses are busy and that is why she needs to be recognized for going above and beyond. She delivers compassionate and empathetic care to very a frightened patient and I am hoping that she will be recognized for the great job she does. Thank you

Thank you, Kate, for your compassionate care, which clearly made a lasting impression on this patient.

And thank you, to everyone reading this, for all you do.

Andrew C. Agwunobi, MD, MBA

Chief Executive Officer

EVP for Health Affairs

UConn Health

Dear Dr. Andy

Some of the campus buildings have expired elevator certificates. Who checks these?

Thank you for your observation, which I've shared with our facilities leaders. The state office that handles elevator inspections has been running behind on issuing updated certificates. All our elevators indeed are in full compliance and we now have received and posted the current certificates.

Thank you for the question.

Have something you want to ask Dr. Andy? Submit your question on The Hub.

Hub Highlights

Find out who accepted our dental school's 2026 Outstanding Faculty Mentor Award.

Learn what molecular biologist Arthur Günzl and his research group are reporting about a path to better medications to treat African sleeping sickness.

Plus, did you take the employee engagement survey yet? Get all the details on how - Go to The Hub now for these and other announcements and features and stay up to date with the latest UConn Health news!