Hartford Hospital

Originally located at 36 Jefferson Street in Hartford, the Old People's Home of Hartford offered the "elderly an alternative to the county poorhouse." The Connecticut Legislature authorized the facility by a Special Act in 1873 and opened its doors in December 1, 1884.[6]

Connecticut public documents described the home:

PRIVATE PROVISION FOR THE AGED
THE OLD PEOPLE'S HOME HARTFORD
LA Sexton MD Superintendent

The Old People's Home is under the same management as the Hartford Hospital and was organized by an act of the General Assembly in 1873. An attractive three storied building of brick and stone was erected for the use of the Home on Jefferson Street opposite the Hospital grounds, and has accommodations for seventy persons. The rooms are large and well furnished and everything is provided which will insure to the occupants the comforts of a well-appointed home. Religious services are held every Sunday afternoon from October to July in an attractive and convenient chapel at the west end of the building.

Residents in the Home must be citizens of Connecticut persons of good character not under sixty five years of age and in reduced circumstances. For several years applicants for admission have exceeded so greatly the means of the Home to support them that it has been necssary [sic] to make the entrance fee $1,000 for permanent inmates. A few boarders are received at $7.00 per week and the Home is well filled at all times.[6]

The name was changed to Jefferson House in 1953. The home cared for and honored its commitment under the old life-care concept until 1979 when the last original resident died. It cared for 662 patients from 1884 to 1979.

A new facility was constructed and opened in Newington, Connecticut in 1980, as a short-term rehabilitation facility.

Hartford Hospital operates Connecticut's only air ambulance service, LIFE STAR, which began operation in 1985 and operates one American Eurocopter BK-117 helicopter and one American Eurocopter EC-145.[7] One helicopter is based at MidState Medical Center in Meriden, CT. and another is based at affiliated Backus Hospital in Norwich, Connecticut. LIFE STAR provides patient care and inter-facility transport between hospitals in New England and New York. In addition, 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 across the state according to state regulations. The program averages 1,400 patient transports per year and plays a vital role in providing speedy access to trauma care for patients in outlying, rural areas.

LifeStar taking off from the scene of a car accident in Glastonbury, Connecticut

Hartford Hospital operates the second largest multi-place hyperbaric chamber in the Northeastern United States, second only to Phelps Memorial Hospital Center, in Sleepy Hollow, NY. Capable of treating up to ten patients at one time, this chamber treats both chronic wounds and emergencies, such as carbon monoxide poisoning and Necrotizing Fasciitis.[8]

Jefferson House is a department of Hartford Hospital that has provided long-term care and rehabilitation services to seniors in the greater Hartford area for more than 120 years.[9] Jefferson House is 104-bed long-term care facility,[1] and serves approximately 92 residents.