Danbury Hospital's continued investment in biomedical research and medical education will facilitate the organization's evolution to a regional medical facility.

"Our commitment to research and medical education reflects Danbury Hospital's desire to do better on all fronts. There are still patients on every floor of this hospital who are battling diseases for which present therapy is inadequate. Our new biomedical research facility allows researchers to perform groundbreaking work in understanding the molecular mechanisms of disease. The goal is to find tomorrow's cures and make them available today," he said.


"We want to push the frontiers of knowledge and actively contribute to discoveries that will not only deliver better care to our patients, but will also attract talented individuals to work and stay at Danbury Hospital," he said.

"The hospital's investment in research and medical education directly benefits the community by providing an intellectually stimulating environment to train the physicians and nurses of tomorrow."

Information technology, including the creation of an electronic medical record, is central to providing high-quality, safe patient care in the most efficient and economic way possible.

"The hospital has launched HealthLink, an ambitious $10 million initiative over the next several years to provide the information technology infrastructure that will allow both hospital-based physicians and community physicians as well as other medical care providers to share information in a secure environment," said Dr. Murphy.

"One of the keys to offering high-quality, safe care is providing physicians and other clinicians access to critical information wherever and whenever they need it. For instance, we can check the virtual health record when a patient comes to the Emergency Department and immediately know about medical issues, such as allergies, that could impact treatment. We also have access to all the tests the patient has undergone so we don't duplicate procedures. This information allows us to enhance the quality of care patients receive while reducing costs."

Philanthropic support from the community will become even more vital in the years to come as Danbury Hospital strives to meet the increasing demand for high-quality medical care in the wake of dwindling reimbursements from the federal government and other sources.

"We are extremely grateful for the community support we have received throughout the years, dating back to the group of concerned citizens who established Danbury Hospital 125 years ago. This hospital belongs to the community and we have been ever mindful to serve as good stewards of these resources," said Dr. Murphy.

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