Providence Health & Services, St. Joseph Health sign letter of intent: 5 things to know

Renton, Wash.-based Providence Health & Services and Irvine, Calif.-based St. Joseph Health have signed a letter of intent to create a new, single organization.

Here are five things to know about the two Catholic health systems and their proposed partnership.

1. Discussions are in the early stages and specific details about a partnership have not been finalized. St. Joseph Health and Providence expect discussions to take place during the next several months. 

2. While announcing their intent to partner, Providence and St. Joseph Health cited their aligned missions.  

"We are two mission-focused organizations which truly have the potential of being better together, delivering outstanding clinical care and providing a compassionate presence in all the communities we serve," St. Joseph Health President and CEO Deborah Proctor said in a news release.

3. In addition to sharing common missions, St. Joseph Health and Providence share similar heritages, the organizations noted in their announcement.

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange were called to meet the needs of Northern California 103 years ago and eventually grew to serve other parts of the state, as well as communities in Texas and New Mexico. Nearly 160 years ago, the Sisters of Providence traveled from Montreal, Canada, to Fort Vancouver, Wash., to develop healthcare in the Northwest, eventually growing to serve Alaska, California, Montana, Oregon and Washington.

4. Both systems also maintain a strong tradition of Catholic healthcare and "share a philosophy of inclusion and diversity," Providence and St. Joseph Health said.

5. Both systems include non-Catholic healthcare affiliates.