SJMHS adds two southeast Michigan Trinity Health hospitals: St. Joseph Mercy Oakland and St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron

ANN ARBOR, Mich.- Saint Joseph Mercy Health System (SJMHS) is pleased to announce that the six Trinity Health hospitals located in southeast Michigan are forming a regional health care system, effective Dec. 1, 2008. The hospitals of the newly expanded regional health care system are St. Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor; St. Joseph Mercy Oakland; St. Mary Mercy Livonia; St. Joseph Mercy Livingston; St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron, formerly Mercy Hospital; and St. Joseph Mercy Saline.

The newly expanded regional system is one of the leading health care providers in southeast Michigan spanning six counties, which include Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne. Collectively, the six-hospital health system provided approximately $99 million in community benefit to the communities served in fiscal year 2008. The six hospitals are all members of Catholic-based Trinity Health, headquartered in Novi, Mich.

Garry C. Faja, president and chief executive officer of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System and regional market executive for Trinity Health explained, 'Coming together allows the hospitals to strengthen health care locally, while providing access to leading edge technology regionally.

'The hospitals in the newly expanded regional system will benefit patients by sharing best practices, medical breakthroughs, physician and professional expertise, technology advancements, quality and innovation, electronic medical records and excellence in the patient care experience.'

Saint Joseph Mercy Health System leverages the combined talent and resources of six hospitals, five outpatient health centers, five urgent care facilities and more than 25 specialty centers, spanning six counties in southeast Michigan and includes a team of nearly 13,000 nurses and staff, and 2,400 physicians.

'As the health care market becomes increasingly competitive throughout the region and with the challenging economic environment, it will only benefit the Trinity Health hospitals in southeast Michigan to explore new ways to leverage the strengths of our shared technologies and services on a regional basis so we can better care for our communities,' remarked Jack Weiner, president and chief executive officer, St. Joseph Mercy Oakland.

The hospitals in the new regional health care system will retain their current names except for Mercy Hospital, in Port Huron. Effective Dec. 1, Mercy Hospital changed its name to St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron.

After extensive and careful consumer research, Mercy Hospital's board of trustees approved a name change to better reflect its regional strength with its shared southeast Michigan hospitals. This decision is in concert with the needs of service area consumers who identified that they want to receive medical care locally, while having access to a larger system of health care services and advanced specialties.

'From now on, when patients walk through our front lobby, they'll be accessing one of the most-advanced health care systems in the region,' commented Peter Karadjoff, president and chief executive officer of St. Joseph Mercy Port Huron. 'Based on research, local consumers see incredible value in our ability to provide community-based care while offering specialty referral opportunities to trusted health care partners. Bringing this combined expertise, technology and patient experience to our community will serve to strengthen our position within our own market and provide access to medical care advances that make our already great hospital and medical staff even more remarkable.'

On Feb. 1, 2008, St. Mary Mercy Hospital joined Saint Joseph Mercy Health System. To date, clinical services being integrated include cancer, radiation oncology, bariatric and thoracic surgery, high-risk obstetrics, and laboratory services, as well as bringing Graduate Medical Education to St. Mary Mercy Livonia.

'St. Mary Mercy Hospital continues to expand our medical services in conjunction with Saint Joseph Mercy Health System, benefiting the patients and families in our local communities and beyond,' added David Spivey, president and chief executive officer, St. Mary Mercy Livonia.

In addition, all SJMHS hospitals will utilize the same brand identity to create a cohesive, distinct look throughout the system. This coordinated brand structure will allow patients to more easily identify the ministry organizations of Saint Joseph Mercy Health System.

'It is important for health care consumers to recognize Saint Joseph Mercy Health System as a single brand with all of its local access points. We have shared mission and values, and that will only serve to benefit our patients through the delivery of remarkable medicine and care,' commented Michele Szczypka, chief marketing officer for Saint Joseph Mercy Health System.

'This is an important day for the citizens of southeast Michigan seeking high quality, well coordinated health care across the region,' said Mike Slubowski, president, Hospital and Health Networks, Trinity Health. 'This regional hospital and health network integration will broaden service availability, improve quality, and increase coordination of care across our continuum of hospitals, ambulatory centers, and physician networks. We are truly leveraging the skill and scale of Trinity Health's resources as one of the region's largest healthcare providers.'

Added Faja, 'Together our system provides the full complement of care that patients are seeking - the most advanced medical treatments and technology available provided with efficiency, compassion and understanding. We are confident these remarkable organizations will accomplish this and more.'