Georgia’s Office of the Attorney General concluded its Public Hearing regarding the acquisition of Memorial Health by HCA Healthcare today. The alignment received significant support and no opposition at the public hearing. The transition is expected this winter.
In the spring of 2017, the Memorial Health Board and the Chatham County Hospital Authority announced their selection of HCA Healthcare to assume the hospital’s operations. “Our board and hospital team are excited about this transition,” said Curtis Lewis, chairman for the hospital Board of Directors. “HCA is committed to the local management of community based hospitals, delivers excellent patient care and will support the local economy. Culturally, they are a great fit for our health system and for this community.”
According to Dr. Frank Rossiter, Jr., chairman of the Chatham County Hospital Authority, “As members of the Hospital Authority, it was a priority to have a healthcare partner committed to the care and improvement of the health of this community. HCA will ensure a dynamic and sophisticated health network remains in Savannah to serve the residents of Chatham County.”
Once completed, the hospital and its physician practices, graduate medical education program and outpatient facilities will become full members of HCA’s South Atlantic Division. “We look forward to welcoming the Savannah team to the HCA South Atlantic family,” said Hugh Tappan, president of HCA’s South Atlantic Division. “Throughout our discussions, we have been deeply impressed with the high quality health care delivered in Savannah and the compassionate care that is consistently provided.”
HCA Healthcare’s South Atlantic Division is headquartered in Charleston, SC, and operates 12 hospitals in eight communities across Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. In addition to its 11 hospital-based ERs, the division operates eight community-based, free-standing ERs placing care close to home within communities where it has a presence. The South Atlantic division includes several elite Trauma programs that treat the most severe illness and injury. In 2016, the division treated more than a million patients, solved more than 600,000 emergencies, successfully completed more than 140,000 surgeries and delivered more than 11,500 babies.
Memorial Health is a two-state healthcare organization serving a 35-county area in southeast Georgia and southern South Carolina. The system includes its flagship hospital – Memorial University Medical Center – a 612-bed academic medical center; Memorial primary and specialty care physician networks; a major medical education program; business and industry services; and NurseOne, a 24-hour call center.