Vassar Health Connecticut Inc

What it reported doing in 2024

Sharon hospital is a 78-bed acute care hospital located in northwestern Connecticut, serving a largely rural population. The hospital is committed to delivering high-quality, patient-centered, and mission-driven care to the communities it serves. Sharon hospital is part of nuvance health, which in may 2025 joined northwell health, creating an expanded integrated health system that enhances access to coordinated, high-quality care across New York's hudson valley and western Connecticut. As part of northwell health, New York's largest health system, patients benefit from expanded clinical coordination, enhanced specialty expertise, and access to system-wide best practices, while maintaining a strong focus on community-based care. Through its integrated system, sharon hospital offers a comprehensive range of services, including bariatric surgery and medical weight loss, critical care, diabetes education, emergency services, heart and vascular care, imaging and radiology, infusion therapy, neurology and neurosurgery, orthopedic care, physical rehabilitation, primary care, rheumatology, sleep medicine, urgent care, women's health, behavioral health, cancer care, dentistry, digestive health, endocrinology, genetic counseling, home health services, infectious disease care, nephrology, occupational medicine, patient blood management, pediatrics, podiatry, pulmonary care, geriatric care, surgical services, urology, and wound care and hyperbaric medicine. Sharon hospital provides a range of essential clinical services, including cardiology, emergency care, neurosciences, orthopedic services, stroke care, surgical services, women's health, behavioral health, wound care, and advanced therapy services, ensuring access to high-quality care close to home for the rural communities it serves. Sharon hospital maintains a strong commitment to clinical quality and patient safety and has been recognized by several national organizations. The hospital has received a five-star quality rating from the centers for medicare & medicaid services (cms) for multiple consecutive years and has earned an "a" hospital safety grade from the leapfrog group. The hospital has also received the american heart association's get with the guidelines stroke gold plus award (rural) and has been recognized by u.s. News & world report as "high performing" in maternity care. In addition, sharon hospital received a healthgrades patient safety excellence award, placing it among the top hospitals nationwide for patient safety. Sharon hospital is also designated as an age-friendly health system participant through the institute for healthcare improvement. These recognitions reflect the hospital's commitment to quality improvement, patient safety, and evidence-based care delivery. Sharon hospital conducts a community health needs assessment (chna) every three years to identify the health needs, barriers, and priorities of the communities it serves. The findings inform the development of the community health improvement plan (chip), which outlines targeted strategies and measurable actions to address identified needs. Based on the most recent chna, sharon hospital focused its community benefit activities on two priority areas: preventing chronic disease and addressing behavioral health needs. In support of chronic disease prevention, sharon hospital has prioritized nutrition and community-based education initiatives. The hospital continues its partnership with the lions club through the let's improve our nutrition (lion) program, providing healthy eating education and food tastings in local elementary schools. In addition, sharon hospital implemented a senior meals program in 2024, providing ongoing access to discounted meals for seniors in the community. To address behavioral health and substance use needs, sharon hospital supports mental health first aid, a nationally recognized, evidence-based program that teaches participants to recognize and respond to signs of mental illne

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 88.2%; rating input score 88
• Fundraising efficiency: Limited

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 91.7%; rating input score 92; 8th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 0 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 0
  • Compensation committee: Missing
  • Independent consultant: Missing
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Missing
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Missing
  • Board or committee approval: Missing
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: Limited
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: No; rating input score 0

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 78.3%; rating input score 78; 26th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 7 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 78
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: Fail
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -28.9%; rating input score 3; 3rd percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.57; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 3.1; rating input score 1; 1st percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 4.3%; rating input score 23; 23rd percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 6.1% per year; rating input score 100; 50th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 0.8% per year; rating input score 100; 8th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: -3.5% per year; rating input score 0; 3rd percentile among comparable filings