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River Valley Health Partners (RVHP) looks elsewhere for partner
EAST LIVERPOOL
Merger talks between Mercy Health and River Valley Health Partners have broken off for the second time.
According to PRWeb, River Valley Health Partners, which includes East Liverpool City Hospital, announced Monday that merger talks with Mercy Health had ceased, and both parties had agreed to withdraw the letter of intent signed in late 2014.
Mercy Health, formerly Humility of Mary Health Partners, has decided not to pursue an acquisition or merger arrangement with River Valley Health Partners, said Matt Love, chief financial officer for Mercy Health Youngstown.
The decision, which was reached after several months of due diligence and careful deliberation, enables RVHP to pursue other potential partners and options for its successful future. No single factor or action led to the decision, Love said.
Mercy Health operates three hospitals in Mahoning and Trumbull counties: St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital, and St. Joseph Warren Hospital.
“In 2013, we set out to find a partner for our health system and community,” said Pete Wicks, chairman of the RVHP board of trustees.
The two organizations originally signed a letter of intent in February 2014, but due to a variety of reasons, officials said, the project was halted. Talks resumed in December 2014.
But as the merger process progressed with Mercy Health, the decision was made that RVHP “may need” to move in a different direction, Wicks said.
In its news release, Ken Cochran, president and chief executive officer of RVHP said: “We have prepared our health system to survive in the event Mercy Health was not the partner for us. Our physicians and staff have made very significant sacrifices to put our health system on solid stand-alone ground.”
At that same time, the facility has made strong improvements in the quality of patient care, RVHP officials said.
“We will evaluate the partnership opportunities available to us and set a course that is best for our staff, community and the patients we serve,” Cochran said.
The RVHP health system is composed of East Liverpool City Hospital, River Valley Physicians, The Therapy Center in Calcutta and Ohio Valley Home Health Services.