New Integrated, Locally Managed Health System to Expand Healthcare Access; Further Elevate Quality and Breadth of Services for Chicago's West Suburban Region

WINFIELD, Ill., and GENEVA, Ill., March 31, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Delnor Health System (Delnor) and Central DuPage Health (CDH) today announced they formed a new, locally based health system with the goal to bring exceptional care to a patient population of more than 1 million in Chicago's western suburbs. Regulators and each hospital's board of directors completed their final approval of the transaction, plans for which were first announced on Oct. 5, 2010.

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"Today, we have created a new health system with greater scale to provide patients with even higher quality care, access to a greater number of specialists, a broader range of clinical capabilities and a more integrated approach to health care," said C. William Pollard, chairman of the CDH board of directors.  "We intend for both hospitals to continue providing an outstanding patient experience, just as they do today, and we will continue to invest in primary and advanced specialty care at each campus."

"We are excited to bring together these two exceptional, financially sound hospitals with shared vision, values and complementary strengths," said William A. Wolford, chairman of Delnor Health System's board of directors. "Our goal is to establish a healthcare system that meets our patients' changing needs and elevates the caliber and breadth of affordable health care in the region.  We are all committed to developing a seamless care experience for our patients so they continue to receive exceptional and uninterrupted service from the same doctors and hospitals they have come to trust."

Luke McGuinness, CDH's president and chief executive officer has been named CEO of the new system, reporting to a 20-person board composed of 10 trustees from CDH and 10 trustees from Delnor.  Michael Vivoda has been named the new president of Central DuPage Hospital and executive vice president of the health system. Thomas L. Wright will continue as president of Delnor Hospital, and will also serve as executive vice president of the health system.  Jim Spear, CDH's chief financial officer, will serve as executive vice president and CFO of the health system. Liz Rosenberg, CDH's vice president of strategic planning, will serve as the health system's executive vice president of strategy and administration. Day-to-day operations at each hospital will continue, with patients having access to the services they rely upon today.

Each hospital will continue to maintain its own charitable foundation. Other affiliates, such as Delnor Health and Wellness Center, Delnor Glen Senior Living and CNS Home Health & Hospice, also will continue under the new health system. Each hospital will retain its own identity; a name for the health system is under development.

The health system will continue to serve the broader healthcare needs of the community, including a strong commitment to charity care, wellness and prevention programs and collaboration with community organizations and agencies.  

Both hospitals will continue advancing services and capabilities to meet the needs of the community.  Later this year, a new state-of-the-art bed tower with 202 private patient rooms will open on the CDH campus. Both hospitals will be upgrading their information technology platforms to improve the coordination of patient care across the region.

About Delnor Hospital

Delnor is a 159-bed hospital located in Geneva, Ill., that has earned national recognition in patient, employee and physician satisfaction. It is designated a Magnet^® hospital, the American Nursing Association's highest honor for nursing excellence, and is also the first hospital in Illinois designated by the Planetree organization for patient-centered care. Delnor is a recipient of the HealthGrades 2010/2011 Outstanding Patient Experience Award and is recognized by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement as a mentor hospital for Board leadership in quality. For more information or a physician referral, please call the Physician Finder and Information Service at (630) 208-3993 or visit http://www.delnor.com/.

About Central DuPage Hospital

Central DuPage Hospital (CDH) is a nationally recognized 313-bed facility located in Winfield, Ill., a suburb west of Chicago. CDH is a leading center for medical technology and one of the busiest surgical hospitals in Illinois.

For the last five consecutive years, Thomson Reuters has listed CDH as a 100 Top Hospital in the U.S. CDH has affiliated with other healthcare leaders, including regionally known Children's Memorial Hospital for pediatric care and, most recently, nationally known Cleveland Clinic for cardiac surgery. For more information or to find a doctor on the medical staff of CDH, visit www.cdh.org or call 630-933-4234/ TTY 630-933-4833 for the hearing impaired.

Both Delnor and CDH are part of an interdependent network of healthcare organizations and services, including convenient care centers, occupational health services, home health and hospice care.

SOURCE Central DuPage Hospital