Harnett Health, a two-hospital system in Dunn, N.C., said it plans to join Cape Fear Valley Health in Fayetteville, N.C., by the end of March.
Cape Fear Valley Health had been managing Harnett Health for the last seven years.
Under the deal, Cape Fear Valley Health will assume Harnett Health's debt and no money will be exchanged.
"This was a natural next step as Cape Fear Valley Health has been able to stabilize Harnett Health’s operation through this relationship over the years including expanding services while streamlining operations and technology," Harnett Health President Cory Hess said in a March 9 news release. "It would have been nearly impossible to achieve the growth we've had without Cape Fear Valley Health."