WASHINGTON–U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health Education, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Friday launched a campaign inviting people in Connecticut to share how Prospect Medical Holdings’ mismanagement of Waterbury Hospital, Rockville General Hospital, and Manchester Memorial Hospital have impacted their access to health care. Constituents are invited to visit tinyurl.com/shareyourprospectstory and submit testimonials.

“When private equity moves in, hospitals, nurses, doctors, and patients regularly suffer. That’s exactly what’s happening in Connecticut due to Prospect Medical’s greed. Their takeover of 3 hospitals in Connecticut has depleted these health care facilities of the resources they need, only to provide company executives and shareholders with massive amounts of profit, all while putting patient care at risk and shorting our local communities of the benefits they were promised. Whether you’re a nurse at Rockville General, or a lifelong patient at Waterbury Hospital or Manchester Memorial, I want to hear your story. It was a mistake to let private equity control so much of our health care system, but it’s not too late for us to change course,” said Murphy.

Murphy launched this share-your-story campaign to inform a forthcoming report on the harmful impact of private equity and profit-seeking in health care. Participants have the option to be kept anonymous.

In March, Murphy hosted a roundtable with stakeholders on the same topic in Waterbury. Last year, Murphy spoke on the U.S. Senate floor on the role private equity has played in the commodification of health care at the expense of patients, doctors, nurses, and local communities. He also highlighted the case of Prospect Medical Holdings at a HELP hearing.