Memorial Hospital and Health Care Center, based in Jasper, Ind., has signed a letter of intent to affiliate with Evansville, Ind.-based Deaconess Health System, the Dubois County Free Press reported Feb. 21.
The hospital is currently sponsored by the Little Company of Mary Sisters. In 2021, the company — which is not growing in membership — asked the hospital to find a new sponsor within three years.
The letter of intent includes "significant" commitments to reinvest in the 71-year-old hospital, according to the newspaper.
"Deaconess strongly believes in the importance of local decisions and local leadership for healthcare organizations," said Shawn McCoy, the health system's CEO. "Our affiliation will continue to promote this local focus, and collaboration with the physicians, leaders and staff at MHHCC and will ensure this affiliation is beneficial to the communities we serve now and in the future."