Uniontown Hospital made its pending relationship with West Virginia University Health System official this week by signing a letter of intent to join the local health system as a full member by 2021.
The agreement also ensures the 145-bed hospital will continue to operate as an acute care facility in neighboring Fayette County, Pa.
“From a geographical standpoint, we are uniquely positioned to partner with Uniontown Hospital to provide world-class health care to the people of Fayette County,” Albert Wright, president and CEO of WVU Health System, said in a statement.
WVU Health and Uniontown Hospital had been in discussions about a potential clinical affiliation for months. Pittsburgh health system giant UPMC ended its seven-year relationship June 30, and since that time, WVU Medicine has staffed both the hospital’s emergency services department and hospitalist services.
Uniontown Hospital also closed its Obstetrical Services center in June as part of its transition from UPMC. Many of the births once handled at Uniontown are now being handled at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital, which is 27 miles away.
Once regulatory approval for the partnership is received, Uniontown Hospital will enter a management agreement with WVU Health.
Under the terms of the deal, Uniontown Hospital CEO Steve Handy, along with other senior leaders at the hospital, will become employees of WVU Hospitals. Handy will also retain his position as CEO of the hospital.
“We are excited to join with WVU Medicine and to look to the future of health care in Fayette County,” Handy said in a release. “This is an opportunity to ensure exceptional care for our patients, to ensure that local health care remains available to all those who count on us, to continue to act as an economic driver and source for regional employment and, ultimately, to continue to make a healthy difference in the lives we touch.”
Founded in 1902, Uniontown Hospital has more than 200 physicians and providers representing more than 30 medical specialties.
WVU Health, meanwhile, is the largest health system in West Virginia and also operates clinics and hospitals in Pennsylvania, Maryland and Ohio. WVU Medicine opened an obstetric clinic with an obstetrician and a midwife in Uniontown last month.
