This morning, Martha Jefferson Hospital (MJH) publicly announced plans to merge with not-for-profit Sentara Healthcare, founded and based in Norfolk, Virginia.
"Sentara Healthcare has never had a layoff and there are no plans to do so with this merger," reads a post on the MJH website. "The merger will provide staff at Martha Jefferson Hospital with personal and professional growth opportunities." Read the press release here.
In an interview this afternoon, MJH President and CEO Jim Haden told C-VILLE that the two operations share a "very similar culture."
"They’re eight community hospitals now," said Haden—referring to Sentara’s facilities in Norfolk and Williamsburg, among others. "We’re a community hospital. So we relate pretty darn well."
Peter Brooks, vice chair of the MJH Health Services Board, told C-VILLE that the financial component of the merger "has really not been dealt with." However, he said Sentara will commit capital to help MJH pursue advances in areas like electronic medical records (EMR). Sentara has received recognition for its EMR system, Sentara eCare—and, according to a 2009 article in the Washington Post, the system was an incentive for Potomac Hospital’s merger with Sentara in July of last year.
The merger, which ultimately requires the approval of the Federal Trade Commission and the Attorney General, is expected to take six months. MJH plans to open its new facility on Pantops Mountain on August 28, 2011. Stay tuned to c-ville.com for more details.