A year and a half after declaring their intent to merge, Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network and Stroudsburg, Pa.-based Pocono Health System remain independent, according to The Morning Call.
Officials said the merger has been held up by the slow-moving regulatory approval process. Though the state attorney general's office has completed its antitrust analysis of the transaction, the merger is still awaiting approval from the Monroe County Orphan's Court, a division of Common Pleas Court which maintains jurisdiction over nonprofits in the region, according to the article.
Brian Downs, a spokesperson for LVHN, said Thursday the health system's merger with PHS is "in the final stages of regulatory approval," according to the article.
A spokesperson for PHS said the health system's recent layoffs are unrelated to the proposed merger.