Letter of Intent Signed by Capital Health and St. Francis Medical Center

HOPEWELL, N.J., May 6, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Capital Health and St. Francis Medical Center, a member of Trinity Health, have signed a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI). Under this LOI, St. Francis Medical Center will become a part of Capital Health. The non-binding LOI is the first step in evaluating and designing a framework that will enhance health care services and create a new model of care for residents of Trenton and the surrounding area. The goal is to work toward a definitive agreement that will create a more comprehensive and sustainable health care system for our community.

"From its founding as the city's first hospital in 1874 to its important role as an acute care teaching hospital and Mercer County's only provider of comprehensive cardiac surgery, St. Francis Medical Center has always put the needs of Trenton and surrounding neighborhoods first," said Al Maghazehe, President and CEO of Capital Health. "This approach aligns very well with Capital Health's mission, and we are committed to our shared vision of providing the highest level of care for the community."

"The health care industry is always evolving to advance medicine and improve delivery of care to the communities we serve," said Samuel J. Plumeri, Jr., chairman of Capital Healthcare, Inc. Board of Trustees. "The changes we're seeing here in Mercer County are a reflection of what's going on nationally, but our neighbors in Trenton and nearby communities can rest assured that we will continue to keep their interests at the center of all we do."

Both hospitals are known for providing advanced care and for ensuring local access to high-quality, comprehensive and affordable health care services.

"Both Capital Health and St. Francis Medical Center are deeply committed to caring for residents of our community," said Daniel P. Moen, President and Chief Executive Officer, St. Francis Medical Center. "The rapidly changing healthcare landscape presents challenges, but it is through a shared mission that both organizations look to expand services and positively impact the health and well-being of local and regional residents."

"As a safety net hospital, ensuring the community has access to care is the heart of our mission," said Joseph Youngblood, II, J.D., Ph.D., Chairman, Board of Trustees, St. Francis Medical Center. "In response to a broad national transformation of health care, we look to combine our strengths with those of Capital, a healthcare leader, and grow services for our residents. Together, we are steadfast in our commitment to provide area residents, including the underserved with high-quality, comprehensive care and to improve the delivery of healthcare for our community. Our partnership with Capital Health will be a fitting legacy to the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia for their decades of service to Trenton and Mercer County."

Capital Health and St. Francis now enter a period of due diligence. The process includes evaluation and discussion to determine how to best combine and enhance their capabilities to more effectively fulfill their missions to the citizens of Trenton and the surrounding area. Approvals will be necessary from State and Federal officials and others before the transaction is able to be completed. The new combined system will be Non-Catholic.

Throughout the process, Capital Health and St. Francis remain committed to sustaining and advancing the comprehensive, high quality services they provide to residents of the greater Trenton area. Areas of focus will include exploring opportunities to expand access to care and improved efficiency in health care delivery.

ABOUT CAPITAL HEALTH
Capital Health is the Central New Jersey/Lower Bucks County region's leader in providing progressive, quality patient care with significant investments in physicians, nurses and staff, as well as advanced technology. Comprised of two hospitals (Capital Health Regional Medical Center in Trenton and Capital Health Medical Center – Hopewell), a Hamilton outpatient facility, and various primary and specialty care practices across the region, Capital Health is a dynamic health care resource accredited by DNV GL - Healthcare.

A four-time Magnet-designated health system for nursing excellence, Capital Health serves as a Level II regional trauma center, regional perinatal center (including a Level III NICU), and emergency mental health screening center. Capital Health also offers the region's first and most experienced Pediatric Emergency Department and most recently, New Jersey's first Autism-Friendly Pediatric Emergency Department. Capital Health also provides innovative programs such as Capital Institute for Neurosciences; nationally accredited Center for Comprehensive Breast Care; Center for Digestive Health; Marjorie G. Ernest Joint Replacement Center of Excellence; award-winning Cancer Center; and the Heart & Vascular Institute, which includes the region's first accredited Chest Pain Center. For more information, visit www.capitalhealth.org.

ABOUT ST. FRANCIS MEDICAL CENTER
Accredited by The Joint Commission, St. Francis Medical Center has a long history of providing care to the community, having served Central Jersey residents for nearly 150 years. As an acute-care teaching hospital, St. Francis Medical Center, a member of Trinity Health, is known as the region's Heart Hospital. St. Francis is the only facility in Mercer County with a state-issued certificate of need to perform cardiac surgery, including open-heart surgery as well as minimally invasive, robotic heart surgery. The Center of Excellence for Heart Health also provides high-level cardiac catheterization, angioplasty services, sophisticated ablation and heart arrhythmia treatments and advanced diagnostics. St. Francis regional services also include its award-winning Stroke Program, as well as Emergency Services, Sleep Disorder Center, Behavioral Health Inpatient Service and HIV Program. It is a teaching hospital offering an internal medical residency program through Jersey Shore University Medical Center, as well as a School of Nursing and a School of Radiologic Technology. St. Francis' partner in care is LIFE St. Francis (Living Independently For Elders), a program for the all-inclusive care of the elderly based in Bordentown, NJ. The medical center provides care to patients throughout Mercer County, Burlington County, and nearby Bucks County, PA.  For more information, visit www.stfrancismedical.org.

ABOUT TRINITY HEALTH
Trinity Health is one of the largest multi-institutional Catholic health care delivery systems in the nation, serving diverse communities that include more than 30 million people across 22 states. Trinity Health includes 92 hospitals, as well as 100 continuing care locations that include PACE programs, senior living facilities, and home care and hospice services. Its continuing care programs provide nearly 2.5 million visits annually. Based in Livonia, Michigan, and with annual operating revenues of $18.8 billion and assets of $30.5 billion, the organization returns $1.3 billion to its communities annually in the form of charity care and other community benefit programs. Trinity Health employs about 123,000 colleagues, including 6,800 employed physicians and clinicians. Committed to those who are poor and underserved in its communities, Trinity Health is known for its focus on the country's aging population. As a single, unified ministry, the organization is the innovator of Senior Emergency Departments, the largest not-for-profit provider of home health care services — ranked by number of visits — in the nation, as well as the nation's leading provider of PACE (Program of All Inclusive Care for the Elderly) based on the number of available programs. For more information, visit trinity-health.org. You can also follow Trinity Health on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.

SOURCE Capital Health

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