For more information, contact Community Relations at:
04/28/2016
DOVER, NH – Wentworth-Douglass Health System and Massachusetts General Hospital announced today that they have signed a letter of intent for Wentworth-Douglass Hospital to become a member of the Mass General family and part of the Mass General Brigham System. This agreement is the first formal step in the process to make Mass General the parent organization of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital.
The boards of both organizations, in separate meetings, authorized the letter of intent. The proposed acquisition is subject to due diligence, the negotiation of definitive transaction documents, and review by state and federal regulatory agencies.
“Becoming part of the Mass General family will advance our mission to partner with individuals and families to attain their highest level of health, and promote our vision for Wentworth-Douglass to be the ‘Regional Hub’ for health care services in the Seacoast region,” said Roger Hamel, chairman, Wentworth-Douglass Health System Board of Directors.
Under the terms of the proposed acquisition, Wentworth-Douglass Hospital will keep its name and remain an independently licensed, not-for-profit, charitable health care organization. While becoming part of the Mass General family, Wentworth-Douglass will maintain its own board of trustees, medical staff, community connections, and fundraising activities.
Gregory Walker, FACHE, president and CEO of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital said, "The combination of our two organizations will mean that Seacoast area residents and visitors will have greater access to the highest-quality clinical care in the region; the most qualified and capable physician network supported by the most sophisticated technology and advanced health records systems - all delivered locally through Wentworth-Douglass, while being supported by the resources of Mass General.”
“We are excited to be part of Wentworth-Douglass’ vision for the future and welcome the opportunity to strengthen the already successful relationship we’ve had for the past eight years,” said Peter L. Slavin, MD, Mass General president. “Wentworth-Douglass is an institution with strong leadership and a clinical staff committed to delivering excellent care to patients, families and the community. We look forward to working closely with the hospital board, leaders and staff to build upon that solid foundation of exceptional care.”
The two organizations have a history of productive clinical relationships dating back to 2008 when Wentworth-Douglass was the first in the area to contract with Mass General to provide remote TeleStroke service for patients presenting in the Wentworth-Douglass Emergency Department with stroke symptoms. Additional joint clinical programs followed in trauma services, thoracic surgery, gynecologic oncology, cancer genetics and clinical trials for cancer patients. Thousands of patients have benefitted from these services. Together, Wentworth-Douglass and Mass General will continue to develop, grow and improve additional health care services to best serve the community.
Paul Cass, DO, chief medical officer of Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, added, “We are proud to be deepening our affiliation with Mass General. They are the region’s proven leader in quality care performance, physician specialization and managing population health initiatives under health reform. We are excited by the prospect of combining the best practices of both organizations to provide the community with the best possible choice for all of its health care needs.”
Assuming satisfactory completion of final due diligence and regulatory reviews, the parties expect the proposed acquisition to take effect by the end of 2016 or soon thereafter. Part of the process includes Community Forums where residents are invited to learn more. These forums will take place on May 10, from 2:30-4:30 p.m. and May 12, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Wentworth-Douglass Hospital’s Garrison Auditoriums.
Wentworth-Douglass Health System (wdhospital.org) is a nationally recognized, not-for-profit charitable health care organization located in the Seacoast community of Dover, New Hampshire with a 110-year history of compassionate care and innovation. Serving its communities since 1906, it is a family of almost 400 providers and over 2,300 employees including 494 registered nurses and over 200 volunteers dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of residents and visitors to the Seacoast area of New Hampshire and Southern Maine. Wentworth-Douglass Health System comprises a 178-bed hospital, two urgent care facilities, multiple testing centers, 26 provider practices, Wentworth-Douglass Foundation and The Works, a full service health and fitness center.
Founded in 1811, Massachusetts General Hospital (www.massgeneral.org) is the oldest and largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The 999-bed medical center each year admits more than 50,000 inpatients, handles more than 1.5 million visits to its extensive outpatient programs at the main campus and four health centers, and records more than 105,958 emergency visits. The surgical staff perform more than 42,000 operations annually, and the Mass General Vincent Obstetrics Service delivers about 3,900 babies a year. The largest nongovernment employer in the city of Boston, Mass General has more than 24,877 employees, including more than 4,800 registered nurses. Mass General conducts the largest hospital-based research program in the United States, with an annual research budget of more than $781 million. Mass General and Brigham and Women's Hospital are founding members of Mass General Brigham System, a Boston-based integrated health care delivery system. In 2003, Mass General became the first hospital in the state to be awarded Magnet designation by the American Nurses Credentialing Center. In July 2015, Mass General returned into the number one spot on the 2015-16 U.S. News & World Report list of "America's Best Hospitals."
CONTACT:
Dawn Fernald, Wentworth-Douglass Health System
(603) 740-2334
Dawn.Fernald@wdhospital.org
Colleen Delaney, Massachusetts General Hospital
(617) 726-0275
cdelaney5@partners.org