Trinity Health of Novi, Mich., and Mercy Health System of Chicago have signed a letter of intent for the Chicago system's Mercy Hospital & Medical Center to join Trinity. The systems could complete the affiliation by spring.
The 479-bed medical center would be Trinity's third Chicago-area hospital and the 48th hospital in the health system's 10-state network.
Joseph Swedish, Trinity president and chief executive, and Sr. Sheila Lyne, RSM, Mercy Health System president and chief executive, said the affiliation will strengthen Catholic health care in Chicago. They said their health systems have common missions, values and heritage. Sisters of Mercy of the Americas congregations helped to found some Trinity facilities and Mercy Hospital.
Sr. Lyne said that it makes sense for the stand-alone Mercy Hospital to join a larger system, as it likely will be difficult for small, independent facilities to maintain operations under health care reform. She said indications are that there will be less money in the health system after health care reform is fully implemented. She said Mercy Hospital is efficiently run and it breaks even financially, and it would be difficult for it to manage with less revenue.
Sr. Lyne said that as a member of Trinity, Mercy Hospital will be better able to access capital to invest in improvements for its aging facilities.
In addition to the hospital, the Mercy system includes a family health center, 11 satellite facilities and two school-based health centers, all of which are part of the affiliation.