Jameson Health System still hopeful for merger after delay: 4 things to know

New Castle, Pa.-based Jameson Health System is still hopeful a formally approved agreement to merge into the Pittsburgh-based UPMC network will come to fruition, even after months-long delays to close the deal, according to a New Castle News report. 

Here are four things to know about the proposed merger.

1. In February, the boards of directors of Jameson and UPMC formally approved a definitive agreement to merge Jameson Health into the UPMC network, and Jameson had hoped to have the deal approved by the state attorney general this spring, according to the report. However, a decision has been delayed over antitrust concerns. "There are concerns that the market share would be larger here than what they're comfortable with," Jameson CEO Doug Danko explained in the report. "The attorney general is still wrestling with that, and trying to get comfortable with the idea that UPMC won't unfairly raise prices and eliminate services here. It's out of our hands now."

3. Regarding the merger, Jameson, which faces a number of issues, such as aging facilities, financial difficulties and the need for more physicians, released a statement earlier this year saying the partnership of the two systems "will ensure world-class quality for our communities as well as long-term access to high-quality healthcare for our region."

4. On June 27, a two-mile walk occurred from Jameson Hospital North Campus to Jameson Hospital South Campus to make the community awareness of the hospital's plight, according to the report. Lisa Lombardo, Jameson's director of public relations and marketing, said in an email to New Castle News that a recent walk organized by local healthcare professionals, hospital patients and families "demonstrates our community's commitment to the Jameson-UPMC merger."