Manchester, N.H.-based Catholic Medical Center's CEO Alex Walker said the health system has been on a mission to find a "partner that will, first and foremost, support our mission of health, healing and hope, as well as a partner who will embrace who we are as a Catholic hospital."
The system believes it found that partner in Nashville, Tenn.-based for-profit HCA Healthcare. CMC said in a Sept. 27 news release it signed a non-binding letter of intent to evaluate the possibility of joining HCA.
"We have seen this successful model with HCA Florida Mercy Hospital, an HCA Healthcare Catholic hospital in the Archdiocese of Miami, and are confident in HCA Healthcare’s commitment to ensure CMC will continue to operate as a Catholic hospital in accordance with the [Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services]," CMC board chairman Timothy Riley said in the release.