Tyrone Regional Health Network and Penn State Health have signed a letter of intent to enter into formal affiliation. With approval by organizational boards and state authorities, Tyrone Regional will become a member of Penn State Health.
The affiliation will bring together a community-based health care network with a reputation for high-quality care and excellent customer service with a high-performing university health system to provide increased access to a wider range of services for residents of the northern Blair County area.
In January, Tyrone Regional leaders announced they were interested in forming a relationship with a larger organization that shares their vision and values. Over the past several months, with assistance from Juniper Advisory, Tyrone completed a structured and deliberate process to evaluate its relationship options. The process led them to Penn State Health.
“Over the past several years we have grown from Tyrone Hospital to Tyrone Regional Health Network. Our working relationships with other health care providers have allowed us to enhance our patient services and fueled our recent growth,” said Kelly Wike, president of the Tyrone Regional Health Network board of directors. “Becoming a member of Penn State Health will help us to do much more. It gives us the potential to provide people in our service area greater access to an increased range of health care services and a broader spectrum of care.”
“An affiliation between Tyrone Regional Health Network and Penn State Health means that patients in Blair County will have better access to our University health system’s scope of services, depth of expertise, breadth of scientific discovery and advanced technology,” said Dr. A. Craig Hillemeier, CEO of Penn State Health. “We look forward to having the opportunity to work with Tyrone Regional’s physicians and health care professionals, along with the community providers in that region, to improve the health and well-being of the community.”
Stephen C. Gildea, CEO of Tyrone Regional, said that becoming a member of Penn State Health will bring tremendous opportunity. “The health care industry is changing rapidly due to health care reform. Health care providers are continually challenged to improve quality of care, increase access to care, lower the cost of care and improve the health of people in the community. We will be in a better position to address these challenges as a member of Penn State Health. This relationship will also bring greater opportunity for innovation in meeting the growing and diverse health needs of people in the communities we serve.”
The two organizations will now work together to determine in more detail what their relationship will look like with Tyrone Regional as a member of Penn State Health. Once the due diligence process is completed, the affiliation will be considered for approval by the Penn State Board of Trustees, Penn State Health Board of Directors, Tyrone Regional Board of Directors and state authorities. The process is expected to be completed by late 2015 or early 2016. Tyrone Regional and Penn State Health will continue to operate separately in the meantime.