Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems continues to make progress on its $1 billion divestiture plan and aims to sell Merit Health Biloxi (Miss.), a 153-bed acute care hospital, to Gulfport, Miss.-based Memorial Health System.
The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025. Financial terms have not been disclosed.
Memorial Health currently operates two hospitals and has collaborated with Merit Health Biloxi in various service areas in the region including oncology, neurology, neuro-interventional radiology, radiology, infectious disease and cardiology.
"Our collaboration came at a pivotal time when both organizations needed to work together to ensure that healthcare services remained uninterrupted during an incredibly challenging period created by the global pandemic," Memorial Health President and CEO Kent Nicaud said in a Nov. 8 news release shared with Becker's.
Now, Memorial Health aims to build on this collaboration and is well-positioned to acquire full ownership of Merit Health Biloxi. The health system said it has no plans to discontinue any services currently provided by Merit Health Biloxi.
"With our hospitals and clinics working under the same system, patients will experience smoother transitions between facilities, knowing they're receiving the same high level of care no matter where they go," Mr. Nicaud said. "Our commitment remains to deliver quality healthcare at every stage of life, which has always been at the core of our mission. We will continue to invest in our facilities, advance our technology, create growth opportunities for our staff, and ensure that everyone in Coastal Mississippi can get the care they need, close to home."