Westchester Medical Center Health Network (WMCHealth) is becoming sole owner and operator of three Hudson Valley hospitals that for about a decade have been operated as a joint venture partnership with Bon Secours Mercy Health (BSMH). In a joint announcement, WMCHealth and Bon Secours said they have amicably agreed to end the joint venture partnership and the three hospitals will fully shift to WMCHealth.
The hospitals involved are Good Samaritan Hospital in Suffern, Bon Secours Community Hospital in Port Jervis, and St. Anthony Community Hospital in Warwick.
“While the terms of the transaction remain confidential, both parties agree they are fair,” WMCHealth said in reply to an inquiry by Westfair’s Westchester County Business Journal about financial details of the transfer.
“With this new chapter we are strengthening our promise to create a healthier Hudson Valley where every family can rely on advanced care that is rooted in their community,” said David Lubarsky, president and CEO of WMCHealth. “This evolution allows us to honor the original shared commitment to support community care by enhancing our ability to deliver seamless, integrated care across the Hudson Valley and build a system that meets the evolving needs of the diverse communities we serve. By fully integrating these hospitals, we are creating a stronger, more sustainable network that will serve generations to come.”
Part of the transition involves no longer operating the hospitals as Catholic entities. WMCHealth said that religious symbols and iconography will be respectfully retired or relocated in consultation with Mercy and local leaders and spaces for prayer, meditation, or quiet reflection will remain available for patients, families and staff of all faiths.
WMCHealth noted that it has served as the primary operator of all three hospitals and their associated facilities since entering a joint partnership with BSMH in 2015. WMCHealth said it will be actively reaching out to a range of local stakeholders including patients, employees, physicians, and community partners to explain the change. It emphasizes that there will be no changes to operations or access to care. It said that any branding changes associated with the transition will be made in compliance with regulatory requirements.
WMCHealth has nine hospitals on seven campuses and 60 ambulatory care sites. It has nearly 13,000 employees with nearly 3,000 attending physicians and annually serves nearly 300,000 individual patients.
