Earlier this year the Board of Trustees at South Haven Health System initiated a formal process to find a strategic healthcare partner in the region. Now, they have selected that partner and it is the Bronson Healthcare system of Kalamazoo. If voters approve of the plan, it will advance.
The South Haven Health System (SHHS) Board of Trustees announced today they have made the decision to pursue partnership with the Bronson Healthcare system to benefit and strengthen healthcare in the communities SHHS serves.
It was back in January that the Board launched a formal process to find a strategic healthcare partner. Potential partners were identified in February through a request for proposal process and interviews were conducted in April.
Dennis Palgen is Board Chair for the hospital system board at South Haven. He says, “The South Haven Health System Board of Trustees and Administration are excited and pleased to take the next step to ensure we are keeping quality healthcare close to home by selecting Bronson Healthcare as our future partner.” He adds, “Our hometown healthcare will be stronger and better with this affiliation, and it will provide additional access to Bronson’s advanced diagnostics, specialty care and resources to better serve our patients.”
Joanne Schroeder is President & CEO of the South Haven Health System. She tells us, “South Haven Health System and Bronson have a 30+ year history of working together cooperatively to improve access to healthcare services for the residents of South Haven and the surrounding communities.” She notes, “As healthcare continues to evolve, our organization will be better positioned to adapt to change as part of a regional system that will help us continue to provide coordinated, quality care in this community.”
Over the coming months, South Haven Health System and Bronson Healthcare will begin to work out details of the proposed partnership through a series of processes which include developing a letter of intent and conducting due diligence. Once terms for an agreement are reached, the transaction will then be subject to regulatory approvals and will also require a public vote to remove SHHS from the hospital authority. The authority area includes City of South Haven, City of Bangor and the following townships: South Haven, Bangor, Arlington, Casco, Columbia, Covert and Geneva. If the ballot request is approved by voters, citizens in the communities that make up the authority will no longer have to pay taxes to support SHHS.
It is too early to tell if enough details will be completed in time for the ballot request to go before voters in the November 8, 2016 election or if the vote will occur in 2017. SHHS will keep the community informed as work toward formalizing the partnership progresses and a timeline is established.
