Evansville, Ind.-based Deaconess Health System's planned acquisition of Hopkinsville, Ky.-based Jennie Stuart Health has received backlash from Save Jennie Stuart, a group urging the system's board to either slow or end the acquisition, Hoptown Chronicle reported Oct. 9.
Here are seven things to know:
1. Deaconess Health, an 18-hospital system, and Jennie Stuart signed a non-binding letter of intent in late September. Management teams from both systems have been evaluating and finalizing certain transaction details. The process is expected to be wrapped by late 2024.
2. Theresa Nichol, Save Jennie Stuart chairwoman and former hospital board member, told the Chronicle the group's goal is to keep local control of Jennie Stuart Medical Center.
3. The group filed articles of incorporation in Kentucky on Oct. 2 as a nonprofit.
4. Ms. Nichol said the group was created after community members, leaders and former Jennie Stuart board members shared their concerns about transfering the hospital's assets to Deaconess. "We hoped together to strongly encourage the present board to look at other alternatives that would not change the local control of our community hospital forever," she told the publication.
5. J. Daniel Kemp, former mayor of Hopkinsville, and Darrell Gustafson, a retired bank executive, are also listed as group directors. Craig Richardson, an attorney in Hopkinsville, is listed as the group's registered agent.
6. Leslie Carrol, chairwoman for the hospital board, has invited Hopkinsville's current mayor James Knight Jr. and Christian County (Ky.) Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam to meet with Shawn McCoy, CEO of Deaconess and the hospital's board and administrators on Oct. 14, the publication said.
7. A spokesperson for the Jennie Stuart Health board of trustees said in an Oct. 9 statement shared with Becker's that the board plans to hold an open meeting with the community to discuss next steps for Jennie Stuart and Deaconess. While Jennie Stuart has the financial resources to sustain care in the near term, it is limited in its ability to invest in the technologies and capabilities required for a leading system.
"Our proposed affiliation with Deaconess would focus on opportunities to enhance the quality of care, while creating a supportive and engaging environment for our employees," the statement said. "Our intention is for Jennie Stuart to continue to operate with a local board of directors and retain influence over local operations."
Becker's has reached out to Deaconess for comment and will update this story should more information become available.