Prime Healthcare Announces Acquisition of Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. and Saint John Hospital in Leavenworth, Kan.

ONTARIO, Calif., April 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Prime Healthcare Services announced today the completion of its acquisition of Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. and Saint John Hospital in Leavenworth, Kan. from SCL Health System.

Providence Medical Center, a 400-bed acute care hospital, and Saint John Hospital, an 80-bed acute care hospital, offer an extensive array of diagnostic and treatment care. Providence's key services include cardiovascular care, neurosurgery, orthopaedics and state-of-the-art spine and joint centers. At Saint John, the hospital specializes in emergency care, senior behavioral health, rehabilitation and ambulatory surgery.

"Prime Healthcare understands how important these acute care hospitals are to the residents of Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties and intends to help the facilities provide the high quality of healthcare that they deserve." said Prem Reddy, MD, FACC, FCCP, Chairman, President and CEO of Prime Healthcare Services. "Prime Healthcare's motto is saving hospitals, saving jobs and saving lives, and we expect to continue that in Kansas."

"Providence Medical Center and Saint John Hospital are excited to be part of a nationally recognized "Top 15" health system," said Randy Nyp, president and CEO of Providence-St. John hospitals. "Both of these hospitals have earned awards for providing a high standard of healthcare, and we believe that Prime Healthcare, with its expertise, will make that commitment stronger."

Prime Healthcare Services will maintain current acute-care and emergency department services at both campuses for at least five years and provide at least $10 million toward capital and other investment projects over the next five years.

Prime Healthcare has also entered into a binding agreement with Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt to continue providing charitable care in the Kansas City and Leavenworth communities at a level at least equal to that provided by the hospitals' prior owner, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System, Inc., and to maintain a formal community advisory board. With all of its acquisitions, Prime Healthcare has routinely committed to following these practices.

"The communities in Leavenworth and Wyandotte Counties rely on the services provided by these two hospitals," Schmidt said. "Keeping them open so they continue to provide health care services was clearly the top priority for the affected communities, and the new owner's additional binding commitment to continue listening to community input and to maintain charitable care confirm that this sale is a satisfactory option."

While the Attorney General noted the majority of the community supported the transaction at a public hearing last week, he mentioned that one critic flew from California to testify at the hearing.

This critic was an operative from Service Employee International Union-United Healthcare West (SEIU), which has initiated a vicious anti-corporate campaign against Prime Healthcare and invested vast resources to try to sway community opinion against the transaction. The union's sole reason for doing this, regardless of the catastrophic effect a scuttled transaction would have had on the hospitals, employees and community, was to hurt Prime Healthcare.  Despite this malicious and unrelenting campaign, SEIU-UHW failed.

Prime Healthcare Services

Ontario, CA-based Prime Healthcare Services (www.primehealthcare.com), with a motto of "Saving Hospitals, Saving Jobs and Saving Lives," is one of the largest hospital companies in the nation. Prime Healthcare was recognized as one of the "15 Top Health Systems in the Nation" in 2012, based on quality of healthcare and patient satisfaction. It was also recognized as a top health system in 2009. In 2013, eight Prime Healthcare hospitals were ranked among the "100 Top Hospitals" in the nation by Truven Health Analytics (formerly Thomson Reuters). Prime Healthcare hospitals have earned the award 21 times.  In addition, eight Prime Healthcare hospitals earned national recognition as "Top Performer on Key Quality Measures," (Top 18 percent), in 2012 from The Joint Commission, the leading Medicare accreditation organization in the country.

Through their subsidiaries, Prime Healthcare Services and the non-profit Prime Healthcare Foundation have more than 20,000 employees and own and operate 23 acute-care hospitals: Alvarado Hospital Medical Center, Centinela Hospital Medical Center, Chino Valley Medical Center, Desert Valley Hospital, Encino Hospital Medical Center, Garden Grove Hospital Medical Center, Huntington Beach Hospital, La Palma Intercommunity Hospital, Montclair Hospital Medical Center, Paradise Valley Hospital, San Dimas Community Hospital, Shasta Regional Medical Center, Sherman Oaks Hospital and West Anaheim Medical Center – in California, Providence Medical Center and Saint John Hospital – in Kansas, Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center – in Nevada, Lower Bucks Hospital and Roxborough Memorial Hospital – in Pennsylvania, Dallas Medical Center, Harlingen Medical Center, Knapp Medical Center and Pampa Regional Medical Center – in Texas.

Providence Medical Center

Located near I-435 and Parallel Parkway and just one mile east of The Legends in Kansas City, Kan., Providence Medical Center is home to innovative health care, quality physicians and compassionate staff. Nationally recognized and accredited by the Joint Commission, Providence has earned the Gold Standard as an Accredited Chest Pain Center and the Platinum Performance Achievement Award from the American College of Cardiology. The medical center provides an extensive array of diagnostic and treatment services including surgery, heart and vascular care, Spine Center, Joint Center and an accredited Sleep Disorders Center. Also located on campus are Providence Place, a skilled and rehabilitative care center, and the Doctors Building. Providence is affiliated with Saint John Hospital in Leavenworth, Kan. To learn more, visit www.providencekc.com.

Saint John Hospital

Saint John Hospital has served as the health care beacon to the Leavenworth and Lansing, Kan., community for more than 140 years. Nationally recognized and accredited by the Joint Commission, Saint John is home to 43 staffed beds, quality physicians and compassionate staff, the hospital specializes in ambulatory care services, including surgery, senior behavioral health, oncology, emergency services and rehabilitation. Also located on the campus is the Saint John Medical Plaza. Saint John is an affiliate of Providence Medical Center in Kansas City, Kan. To learn more, visit www.saintjohnleavenworth.com.

SOURCE Prime Healthcare Services