Milwaukee-based Ministry Health Care has assumed sole sponsorship of an eastern Wisconsin health care network that it had cosponsored with Wheaton, Ill.-based Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare since 1996. The change took place Feb. 8.
Ministry requested the transition and Wheaton agreed, according to John Oliverio, Wheaton's president and chief executive. Ministry President and Chief Executive Nick Desien said that sole sponsorship of Menasha, Wis.-based Affinity Health System "makes us a larger and stronger organization that has and employs more providers, operates more locations and services and combines two (top-rated) integrated systems."
Affinity includes three Catholic hospitals — the 25-bed critical access hospital Calumet Medical Center of Chilton, Wis.; 157-bed Mercy Medical Center of Oshkosh, Wis.; and 352-bed St. Elizabeth Hospital of Appleton, Wis. — as well as a network of clinics, a medical group and a health plan. Ministry sponsors or cosponsors 13 additional hospitals throughout Wisconsin.
Ministry's Desien said that there is "tremendous pressure facing stand-alone hospitals and small health care systems … (and) that larger systems which serve more significant markets will have the capabilities of absorbing risk and driving greater operational efficiencies. It is against this backdrop that we moved forward with Ministry sponsorship of Affinity."
At press time, Ministry was not disclosing the amount it transferred to Wheaton to become sole sponsor of Affinity.
Desien said the move preserves and strengthens Catholic health care delivery in Wisconsin. "Ministry and Affinity share a common Franciscan heritage through their founding congregations," he said. "Affinity's culture is in close harmony with that of Ministry."
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