The William W. Backus Hospital is a 213-bed, not-for-profit, acute care community hospital in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The Yantic, Shetucket, and Quinebaug Rivers flow into the city and form its harbor, from which the Thames River flows south to Long ...

. Backus Hospital provides inpatient care for approximately 11,000 patients each year, and has more than 400,000 outpatient visits. The hospital operates outpatient centers in

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...

, Montville, Ledyard, and Plainfield; and the Backus Outpatient Care Center in Norwich.

History

The hospital was founded in 1893 by William Wolcott Backus and

William A. Slater William Albert Slater (1857–1919), was an American businessman, art collector, and philanthropist from Connecticut who was a member of the prominent Slater family. Early life and career William Slater, the son of John Fox Slater and grandson ...

, in response to the region's growing healthcare needs. In 2008, Backus Hospital's Cancer Center received the

American College of Surgeons The American College of Surgeons is an educational association of surgeons created in 1913.American College of Surgeons Online "What is the American College of Surgeons?"/ref> See also *American College of Physicians The American College o ...

Commission on Cancer's Outstanding Achievement Award, placing it among an elite group of cancer centers nationwide. In 2008, the hospital also earned the John D. Thompson Award for eliminating central line infections in its Critical Care Unit. In Dec 2015, the Board of Trustees named Bimal Patel President and Chief Executive Officer, effective January 2016. Backus Hospital operates the state's only

trauma center A trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major trauma, major traumatic injuries such as Falling (accident), falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. A trauma cent ...

east of the

Connecticut River The Connecticut River is the longest river in the New England region of the United States, flowing roughly southward for through four states. It rises 300 yards (270 m) south of the U.S. border with Quebec, Canada, and discharges at Long Island ...

, and it is the only regional facility that has a helipad and support facility for LIFE STAR,

Hartford Hospital Hartford Hospital is an 938-bed acute care teaching hospital located in the South End of Hartford, Connecticut. Hartford Hospital was established in 1854. The hospital campus is located on Seymour Street in Hartford and is directly adjacent to the ...

air ambulance Air medical services is a comprehensive term covering the use of air transportation, aeroplane or helicopter, to move patients to and from healthcare facilities and accident scenes. Personnel provide comprehensive prehospital and emergency and cri ...

helicopter. LIFE STAR provides advanced life support scene response and transport for the most critically injured and medically unstable patients in Connecticut. These patients are taken to Level I or Level II

trauma centers A trauma center (or trauma centre) is a hospital equipped and staffed to provide care for patients suffering from major traumatic injuries such as falls, motor vehicle collisions, or gunshot wounds. A trauma center may also refer to an emergenc ...

across the state, according to state regulations. It is the most profitable hospital in the Hartford Healthcare System. On October 13, 2020, about 400 nurses at the hospital went on

strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...

over contract negotiations and issues related to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

References

External links

Official Website
{{authority control Hospitals in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Norwich, Connecticut Hospitals established in 1893 1893 establishments in Connecticut