When an expansion at UConn’s John Dempsey Hospital in Farmington, CT was proposed, GBPR was enlisted by Hartford Hospital as part of a coalition of Hartford-area hospitals to execute a crisis communications strategy. These hospitals faced serious adverse financial impacts if the expansion was granted by regulators, which would have, in turn, made delivery of care to patients more difficult and expensive. GBPR developed a plan to raise awareness and understanding among elected officials, the media, business and community leaders, healthcare providers and healthcare consumers of the resulting adverse consequences. Working with doctors and hospital executives to share key messaging, GBPR incorporated grassroots advocacy and media outreach to editorial boards and public affairs television shows. These tactics resulted in a decision from policymakers to not move forward with an expansion of John Dempsey Hospital, preserving access to care for large numbers of un- and underinsured patients and maintaining a responsible level of allocation of the state’s limited healthcare dollars.