Yakima (Wash.) Valley Memorial signed a letter of intent to explore joining Tacoma, Wash.-based MultiCare Health System.
The two organizations will work to negotiate a final contract in the next few months. If a final deal is reached, MultiCare would grow to 12 hospitals.
Under the letter of intent, MultiCare plans to help the 226-bed Yakima Valley hospital implement an integrated EHR, invest in new programs and find a sustainable path forward.
"Over the past two years, Memorial has successfully navigated the closure of Astria, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasingly costly and complex healthcare environment," Yakima Valley Memorial CEO Carole Peet said in a May 9 news release. "We are now evaluating a new strategy to guarantee continued access to outstanding local healthcare for our community for decades to come."