Wellstar, AU Well being merger raises considerations

State lawmakers and client advocates have raised consolidation considerations about Wellstar Well being System’s proposed merger with Augusta (Ga.) College Well being System after the nonprofit system just lately closed two Atlanta hospitals that had been underperforming, The Augusta Chronicle reported.

The hospitals — Atlanta Medical Heart and Atlanta Medical Heart South — served largely Black populations, in accordance with the report.

On March 15, the Fulton County (Ga.) Fee voted to file a criticism with the Justice Division in opposition to Marietta, Ga.-based Wellstar, which was the third request for federal complaints in opposition to the system over its closure of the hospitals in per week. NAACP, a civil rights group, and a coalition of Georgia Democrats and different lawmakers additionally filed federal complaints in opposition to Wellstar.

“We should set the document straight about why Wellstar needed to shut AMC and why we’re exploring choices in Augusta. We spent greater than two years making an attempt to take action,” in accordance with the well being system. “In reality, our efforts to seek out one other well being system accomplice and work with authorities officers to discover a resolution began properly earlier than our choice was introduced to shut AMC in 2022. This included direct discussions with policymakers in Fulton County, together with Chairman Pitts, as early as February 2020. Sadly, native policymakers declined to offer any assist to AMC as they rightly have and do with the opposite security web hospital in Atlanta.”

As a part of the merger, Wellstar has dedicated to speculate $800 million in Augusta services over the subsequent 10 years and convey extra clinicians by means of the state as it really works intently with the college’s Medical School of Georgia.

“As our two organizations have labored collectively during the last three months to succeed in this settlement, the rationale for our partnering with Wellstar has solely grown stronger — to allow our well being system to thrive in right now’s difficult healthcare atmosphere and to increase our mission of bettering well being for all Georgians by means of excellence in affected person care, schooling and analysis,” Brooks Keel, PhD, president of Augusta College and appearing CEO of Augusta College Well being System, mentioned.

The transaction, which is topic to egulatory approvals, is predicted to shut in the summertime.