Legislators: Just close Farmington, CT, hospital

University of Connecticut officials say its 224-bed John Dempsey Hospital is too small and outdated to function on its own, doomed to run a deficit, and too antiquated to meet medical standards. Without intervention, UConn President Michael Hogan says, the Farmington, CT, facility will be forced to close. UConn wants to build a new $475 million hospital under a partnership with Hartford Hospital. But some state lawmakers wonder if it would be simpler to just close John Dempsey instead.