Steward Health System Retains ValleyCare Brand

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Three local hospitals acquired this week by Steward Health Care System will continue to operate under the ValleyCare Health System of Ohio brand, a Steward spokesman said.

The Boston-based, physician-led group completed its acquisition Monday of eight hospitals from Community Health Systems Inc., including four in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys.

CHS purchased Northside Medical Center in Youngstown, Trumbull Memorial Hospital in Warren and Hillside Rehabilitation Hospital in Howland Township at a 2010 bankruptcy auction and operated them under the ValleyCare brand. In 2014, it purchased Sharon Regional Health System in Sharon, Pa.

“ValleyCare will remain a part of the regional brand,” Jeff Hall, vice president, senior communications, tells The Business Journal.

Steward is “community-based, physician-led organization designed to improve patient outcomes through preventative care, while providing world class hospital care,” Hall said.

“There is a great opportunity to expand this model in the communities that we serve,” he said. Plans call for looking at investments in the hospitals and physician practices, including specialty practices that address unmet community needs.

Steward wants to “aggressively expand” the hospitals’ footprint and physician network, and recruiting more primary care physicians and specialists are top priorities, Hall said. “Working with the entire hospital team, Steward will be implementing our value-based, integrated care model to keep our care local and delivered in the most cost-effective, least-disruptive setting.”

Steward representatives toured and met with staff at the area hospitals this week and looks forward to “a respectful relationship,” a representative of the Ohio Nurses Association aid Thursday in response to a request for comment.

“The initial visits have been a great success and Steward has been welcomed enthusiastically by the community,” Hall said “Steward physician leaders and other staff will spend the first 90 days or so reaching out to our patients, employees, doctors and staff. We want to make sure all initiatives reflect and meet the needs of these groups.”

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.