With two major hospitals and a mental health center within the city limits, Bridgeport is the health care center of Fairfield County. Bridgeport Hospital is a full-service community hospital and teaching institution serving the greater Bridgeport area and Fairfield County. The hospital is a tertiary-level hospital (highest level) with the staff and facilities to treat the most critically ill patients who are often referred from other hospitals, and is also designated a Level I Trauma Center (highest level), one of four in the state of Connecticut. The 425-bed facility is known as a leader in health care and for its specialties and innovative services. Special programs include a regional open heart center; a cancer center, which offers comprehensive diagnostic, treatment, education and support services for cancer patients; a regional center for low and high-risk births; the region's most comprehensive newborn intensive care unit, the P.T. Barnum Pediatric Center; the only burn center with dedicated beds between Boston and New York; a joint reconstruction center; comprehensive inpatient and outpatient rehabilitative care for multiple trauma, stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, arthritis and other disorders; and a community wellness and health education program.
St. Vincent's Medical Center is a modern, 397-bed acute care hospital offering more than 50 specialty and sub-specialty medical and surgical disciplines. Centers of excellence comprise cardiovascular disease including angioplasty and coronary artery bypass surgery; cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support; joint replacement including total knee, hip and shoulder; and women's services including a contemporary maternity center along with a Women's Imaging Center (opened June 2004) for mammograms, ultrasounds, and bone density services. St. Vincent's also is a designated Level II Trauma Center and has a landing pad for medical helicopters. It is affiliated with two medical schools—Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and New York Medical College, and participates in international research programs. The Greater Bridgeport Community Mental Health Center has 62 licensed beds and provides a 24-hour crisis service along with a variety of additional recovery programs.