St. Joseph’s Hospital in Elmira announced Nov. 17 that it has signed a letter of intent to become a member of Guthrie Healthcare System of Sayre, Pa. The announcement further stated that St. Joseph’s will remain a Catholic hospital.
According to a press release from St. Joseph’s, the final steps in completing the agreement include the development of a formal agreement, followed by a Certificate of Need application to be submitted to the New York State Department of Health. The Certificate of Need will be submitted in January, the release said.
As part of the agreement, Guthrie will commit $54 million in funds to St. Joseph’s, including $9.2 million at the time of closing and $15 million for capital improvements over the next five years.
“By becoming a part of the Guthrie organization, St. Joseph’s will both preserve and improve access to the efficient delivery of high-quality patient care for the residents of the Souther Tier of New York and Northern Tier of Pennsylvania,” said Sister of St. Joseph Marie Castagnaro, the Elmira hospital’s president.
St. Joseph’s and Guthrie had first announced the possibility of an official relationship in June 2006. Officials from both organizations had set a time line of 180 days to work out a formal relationship, so the Nov. 17 announcement came about a month sooner than originally expected.
St. Joseph’s had first contacted Guthrie about collaboration three years ago, due to financial problems facing the Catholic hospital.
