PROVIDENCE – Preliminary discussions are underway between Yale New Haven Health System in New Haven, Conn., and South County Hospital, Rhode Island’s only independent community hospital.
Yale New Haven already has a Rhode Island presence; in 2016, it purchased Westerly Hospital’s parent company, LMW Healthcare Inc., of New London, Conn.
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“We recognize that the emerging health care environment will require newfound creativity and innovation and to that end we are always open to working in a collaborative fashion with other health care providers to ensure those goals are met. South County Hospital, Westerly Hospital and Yale New Haven Health are informally reviewing potential opportunities to collaborate on the provision of exceptional patient care in southwestern Rhode Island,” Vin Petrini, senior vice president, public affairs, Yale New Haven Health, said in a statement that his office issued on behalf of the system and hospitals.
“However, since these discussions are at a very preliminary stage, we are not in a position to offer further details, he added.
South County Hospital, part of South County Health, has not responded to Providence Business News’ requests for comment.
This is not South County Health’s first foray into merger or affiliation discussions.
As PBN reported previously, South County Health trustees had reached out in February 2013 to Lifespan and Care New England in Rhode Island; Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, Conn.; and Southcoast Health in New Bedford, to determine if any of them were interested in a partnership. After all of the entities but Lawrence & Memorial Hospital expressed interest, South County chose to enter into exclusive discussions with Southcoast Health in southeastern Massachusetts.
Those discussions with Southcoast Health ceased in September 2014; the following month, Lou Giancola, South County Hospital president and CEO, told Providence Business News in a far-ranging interview that South County was focusing on a new kind of partnership.
“We’re looking to work with other systems to either participate in any existing network or create a new network,” he said.
And, as long ago as 2007, discussions between Westerly and South County were held, but to no avail.
Just last week, Care New England said it will join Partners HealthCare of Massachusetts, and that it has selected Prime Healthcare Foundation to pursue an acquisition of Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket.
CNE said it has signed a letter of intent to join Boston-based Partners, an integrated nonprofit health system.
Nancy Kirsch is a PBN contributing writer.
