JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (Sept. 16, 2014) – Clark Memorial Hospital, a 241-bed facility with 1,600 employees in Jeffersonville, Ind., said today it hopes to join the Norton Healthcare system, which has five hospitals and 1,800 beds in Louisville. Clark Memorial issued a news release indicating it will hold a public discussion meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1, to share information and answer questions about plans to join the Norton network.
No potential financial details were released, but Clark Memorial indicated that for two years board members and senior leadership from both organizations have been engaged in an extensive evaluation of the various ways the two could partner and an assessment of potential impact on patients, team members and physicians.
Any final proposal to enter a partnership would require formal approval by the governing boards of both entities as well as the Clark County (Ind.) Commission.
“While the process has taken nearly two years, we’re focused on being thorough and doing this right, not just quickly,” said Clark Memorial president and CEO Martin Padgett. “We’ve worked closely with our Board of Trustees, including physician leaders and outside experts, to make sure we find a solution that is in the best interest of our patients and community. Based on this analysis, we believe the right solution for our organization and for Clark County is to fully join the Norton system and that by doing so we will succeed in securing and advancing local healthcare in Clark County for years to come.”
Independent community hospitals across the country are facing greater challenges than ever before due to healthcare reform, economic uncertainty and increased competition from neighboring providers. Given these pressures and more, hospitals across the country are collaborating and joining forces with other systems in order to survive and thrive. Today’s news release said Clark Memorial Hospital and Norton Healthcare began exploring a potential partnership in 2012; a collaboration that would allow the two organizations to more closely align for the future.
“The Clark County Commissioners, Clark County Council and the leadership of Clark Memorial Hospital understand how important the Hospital is to the community we serve,” said Padgett. “We are excited to invite the public to the hospital to learn about the many community benefits that will result from our partnership with Norton Healthcare.”
The new Norton Clark Memorial would be join a healthcare system that provides care at nearly 140 locations throughout Greater Louisville and Southern Indiana. In addition its five hospitals, the Louisville-based not-for-profit system includes 10 outpatient centers; 12 Norton Immediate Care Centers; 12,000 employees; nearly 630 employed medical providers; and in excess of 2,000 total primary care and specialty physicians on its medical staff.
“Joining the Norton Healthcare system is a natural evolution of a long-standing relationship for clinical collaboration,” said Padgett. “Through this partnership, Norton Clark Memorial will be able to offer the Clark County community a wider range of healthcare services close to home, increase access to affordable care for patients and preserve healthcare jobs in Clark County, among other things.”
Clark Memorial has operated since 1922 and has a 22-acre campus that includes two medical office buildings and an outpatient surgery center. Clark Memorial also owns an Urgent Care and Diagnostic Imaging Center eight miles north of the main campus and the Clark Physician Group. Clark Memorial’s 55 employed providers and more than 200 active medical staff serve nearly 82,000 patients each year.
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