Greater Hazleton Health Alliance (GHHA) and Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) announced April 24 they have signed an agreement for a full asset merger pending regulatory approval.

The GHHA board of directors approved the merger on April 3 and the LVHN board of trustees executive committee did so April 16 with the full board ratification expected May 1.

The decision by the boards of both organizations builds upon a historical relationship. They began to develop formal clinical partnerships about four years ago in the areas of MI alert response for heart care, emergency department coverage by LVHN physicians at Hazleton, and various telemedicine initiatives including tele-obstetrics, tele-burn, tele-infectious disease consults and tele-stroke care to utilize LVHN's specialist care capabilities in efficient ways to enhance the delivery of high-quality care to residents in the Hazleton region.

"The patient-centered partnerships we have formed over the years speak volumes about the similar cultures of caring and compassion that exist at both the Greater Hazleton Health Alliance and Lehigh Valley Health Network," said Jim Edwards, president and CEO, GHHA. "Both organizations value their people and realize that's where the care starts. That's what has made working together a natural fit and what makes merging the logical choice, especially in today's ever changing health care environment."

Ronald Swinfard, LVHN's president and CEO, agrees that the two organizations have a symmetry that works.

"Hazleton General Hospital is a highly-valued, independent, community hospital that takes care of the people in this area. The leadership of the Greater Hazleton Health Alliance is to be commended for their exceptional stewardship. We respect what they've done and feel being a merged organization will allow us to continue to learn from one another and make a great situation even better for our communities."

Greater Hazleton Health Alliance includes Hazleton General Hospital with 150 licensed beds, and the Hazleton Health & Wellness Center, the hospital's newest outpatient center providing diagnostic testing and rehabilitation, as well as ambulatory surgery. GHHA employs over 1,000 people and has a medical staff of more than 100 physicians. GHHA also operates a multispecialty health network of primary and specialty physicians and surgeons in 15 offices throughout the northeast region.

Lehigh Valley Health Network employs over 12,000 people, has a medical staff of almost 1,200 and operates nearly 1,000 licensed acute beds at three hospital locations. In addition, the health network operates nine health centers and numerous primary and specialty care physician practices throughout the Lehigh Valley region.

Officials said they anticipate the health care needs in each of their communities will continue to grow and, pending regulatory approval, they plan to do a needs assessment to determine how the merged organization can meet those needs going forward.

"Health care reform is changing the landscape from a system that treats patients when they are sick or injured to one that also makes managing the health of our community a priority," said Thomas Kennedy, chair, GHHA's board of directors. "The trend around the nation is to develop these affiliations to keep people healthy and provide the highest quality care as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible when they need it."