Adena Health System and its board of trustees have decided that Fayette County Memorial Hospital (FCMH) will not become a full member of its health system and will instead remain an affiliate partner.
“Over the past several months, Adena Health System and Fayette County Memorial Hospital (FCMH) have been engaged in a due diligence phase for FCMH to become a member of Adena Health System,” reads a statement from Adena. “Through the course of due diligence, Adena and its Board of Trustees have determined it is in the organization’s best interest that Adena’s level of engagement with FCMH remain as an affiliate partner. Adena remains committed to its affiliation and strong partnership with FCMH in delivering high quality, specialty care, and supporting FCMH in being an economic driver in the community.”
Adena Health System President and CEO Jeff Graham shared this message with the FCMH Board earlier this week, explaining that Adena is not continuing with the acquisition process: “Adena remains steadfast in its commitment to build strong, trusting relationships with communities and the healthcare providers in its nine-county service region.”
He further emphasized, “Whether an entity wants to join the Adena network or remain independent, the overall goal is to ensure that patients in south central and southern Ohio have access to the best possible care, close to home. The existing partnership we have with FCMH has been successful for both Fayette and Adena, and more importantly for the patients who don’t have to travel far from home to receive the care they need.”
FCMH CEO Mike Diener responded to Adena’s decision in a statement: “Obviously we regret the due diligence process will not end with FCMH becoming a full member of the Adena Health System, however we are committed to maintaining and growing our current relationship with Adena, working together to provide specialty care to Fayette County. Services like Adena Bone & Joint, the Cancer Center and the Adena Specialty clinics will all remain on our campus and continue to operate as normal. As new opportunities for additional service lines arise, Adena Health System will be the first organization we look to partner with to meet those needs. The task at hand for us now is to continue to focus our efforts on being the healthcare provider of choice in Fayette County. In a period of great uncertainty in the healthcare industry, FCMH is committed to caring for the community just as it has done for the past 70 years. We are resolute in our mission to improve the health of our population by providing high quality patient care and education. We will take all the necessary steps to continue to operate this facility in a responsible manner and do what’s best for our staff and patients.”
Adena has been collaborating with FCMH since 2017, with providers delivering a wide range of close-to-home specialty care within FCMH facilities. The two organizations inked a formal partnership affiliation agreement in September 2018, and have expanded the volume of specialty care being offered at the hospital’s Washington Court House campus. These specialty services include: cardiology, dermatology, Nephrology, neurology, Ob/Gyn, oncology, orthopedics, pulmonology and urology.
Adena currently operates three hospital facilities, located in Chillicothe, Greenfield and Waverly.
