LifeBridge Health, the operator of four area hospitals and a local network of medical clinics, reached an agreement to acquire Bon Secours Baltimore Hospital in West Baltimore, the two healthcare companies announced.
Both institutions signed a letter of intent to enter into the deal. The consolidation comes months after Bon Secours Health System was acquired by the Cincinnati-based Mercy Health, reportedly enlarging the combined profile of the companies to 43 hospitals in seven states.
Terms of the deal with LifeBridge Health were not disclosed, but the organizations said the money will be paid out over six years to the Bon Secours Baltimore Foundation to continue the provider’s community-based medical work.
In a statement, Samuel L. Ross, M.D., CEO of Bon Secours Baltimore Hospital, said the merger will allow for the expansion Bon Secours Community Works, a nonprofit focusing on health, housing and community development initiatives, and Unity Property Housing, which manages 648 family and senior housing units.
“Bon Secours and LifeBridge Health are committed to focusing on better access to quality health care services, wellness and prevention, addressing the root causes of health disparities, and transformational work to improve the health and wholeness of west Baltimore,” he said.
Ross, in his capacity as chief community health officer for Bon Secours Mercy Health, will oversee those operations. The hospital will get a new name if the deal is approved by state regulators, per The Sun.
Both Gov. Larry Hogan and Mayor Catherine Pugh issued statements giving the thumbs up to the partnership. The mayor said the the new model “ensures that the health care and support services so vital to the residents of west Baltimore will continue uninterrupted.”
The Sisters of Bon Secours, a Catholic congregation dedicated to medical care, started community work in West Baltimore in the mid-19th century, and later built a hospital there in 1919.
Neil Meltzer, president and chief executive officer of LifeBridge Health, said in a statement this new arrangement will allow LifeBridge to build on the foundations of that work and provide more “resources to the community to address needs related to employment, addiction and other challenges.”
LifeBridge and Bon Secours said they plan to hold a series of community meetings to answer questions from residents and discuss how the organizations will integrate. They’ve also set up a website, westbaltimorehealth.org, to provide additional information.
