Two major nonprofit healthcare providers in the region, ChristianaCare and Virtua Health, won’t be partnering to form a regional health system.
The pair mutually canceled tentative plans to collaborate, which it entered into over the summer with a letter of intent, according to a statement released Wednesday.
The partnership would have combined 600 healthcare sites, nearly 30,000 employees, and multiple academic programs in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland.
When the nonprofit entities announced the potential partnership in July, President and Chief Executive Officer of ChristianaCare Janice Nevin said in a statement “We are excited to take this bold step to double down on our mission, multiply our excellence and ensure our legacy of high-quality care in our local communities for generations to come.”
For nonprofit mergers to be finalized, leadership of both groups must review each other's finances and agree to move forward. Then, it needs government authorities like the New Jersey and Delaware Attorney Generals' offices to sign off. Nonprofits do have greater oversight than other entities for partnerships or mergers.
ChristianaCare and Virtua Health both declined to provide specifics on reasons the partnership was canceled.
The cancellation announcement said, “After thoughtful evaluation, both organizations have determined that they can best fulfill their missions to serve their communities by continuing to operate independently.”
