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The Boards of Directors of both Monongahela Valley Hospital and Penn Highlands Healthcare have signed a Definitive Agreement between the two entities that would integrate Monongahela Valley Hospital into the Penn Highlands Healthcare system.

The Monongahela Valley Hospital Board of Directors determined that Penn Highlands Healthcare would be a perfect long-term partner to meet the healthcare needs of the area.

The mission of Penn Highlands Healthcare is to provide exceptional care through its community-based health system while maintaining a reverence for life. “When we started to have conversations with Penn Highlands Healthcare, we quickly realized how much our vision and values aligned with theirs,” said       R. Carlyn Belczyk, Chairman of the Monongahela Valley Hospital Board of Trustees. “During the last 119 years, Monongahela Valley Hospital has been a vital part of our community. We needed to examine how we could transform our health system through clinical, technical and strategic innovation to deliver tomorrow’s healthcare today. The new affiliation with Penn Highlands Healthcare will help us to continue to provide the high-quality care that our patients expect while expanding our services at the same time.”

The affiliation with Penn Highlands Healthcare, anticipated to take effect in the fall of 2021, is designed to strengthen the delivery of healthcare services in the community. The board’s key objectives that guided the search for a new partner included:

• continue the spirit of the mission, vision, and values of Monongahela Valley Hospital;
• maintain and expand key programs and services;
• attract and retain high-quality physicians and advanced practice providers in a wide range of specialties;
• preserve jobs in the area while providing competitive wages and benefits;
• maintain a meaningful role in local governance of the hospital.

“It’s an exciting time for Penn Highlands as we continue to grow our footprint across the region and expand to the southwestern part of the state,” said Richard Pfingstler, Chairman of Penn Highlands Healthcare Board of Directors, “The affiliation with Monongahela Valley Hospital broadens our reach while continuing to support the Monongahela Valley Hospital history of offering high-quality health care and great patient satisfaction.”

Louis J. Panza Jr., Monongahela Valley Hospital president and CEO agreed. “Penn Highlands Healthcare understands what communities need in a health system, which is why Penn Highlands is an ideal partner for our hospital. Penn Highlands successfully operates other like-sized hospitals, and we are looking forward to partnering with them.”

“Monongahela Valley Hospital has strong values and a modern facility, which is why we are excited for this opportunity to partner with them,” said Steven M. Fontaine, CEO of Penn Highlands Healthcare. “We believe that Monongahela Valley Hospital not only shares our core values as a company, but has a strong vision that makes the choice to integrate our health systems easy. This will enable us to serve more communities and more patients.”

The signing of the Definitive Agreement means that Monongahela Valley Hospital and Penn Highlands Healthcare have agreed to the terms and conditions of a prospective affiliation. Throughout the next several months, both parties will engage in additional due diligence, research and discussions to facilitate a smooth integration of Monongahela Valley Hospital into Penn Highlands Healthcare once regulatory approval of the affiliation is secured.

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