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ELKINS – Officials announced Thursday that Davis Health System plans to join Vandalia Health, although the DHS brand will stay intact.
"This announcement reassures the communities of Davis Health System that local health care will thrive and grow," said DHS President and CEO Vance Jackson, FACHE. "Both Davis Health and Vandalia Health share a commitment to improving access and opportunities for better health across West Virginia."
The news was shared with DHS staff Thursday morning prior to the public announcement, officials said.
"Davis Medical Center, Broaddus Hospital and Webster Memorial are providing critically needed services in their communities. We will be proud to help them continue that tradition, and support them with services in the region," said David L. Ramsey, CEO & President of Vandalia Health.
The organizations have signed a non-binding letter of intent for Davis Health System to join Vandalia Health.
The organizations plan to complete due diligence and then close the transaction after the receipt of all necessary regulatory and governance approvals. A tentative time frame for the process is four to six months, officials said.
"DHS is not going anywhere," Tracy Fath, DHS vice president of Marketing and Development, told The Inter-Mountain Thursday afternoon. "We are joining a larger health network. We want to assure the community that we are staying here.
"The brand of Davis Health System – including Broaddus Hospital, Davis Medical Center and Webster Memorial Hospital – will stay intact. We will be part of the umbrella that is Vandalia.
"The employees will continue to be employed by DHS," Fath said.
The DHS Board of Directors authorized Jackson to sign the agreement during a meeting Wednesday, Fath said. Further details will be announced in the coming weeks.
By joining Vandalia Health, DHS will enhance the medical services in the communities it serves, a press release about the agreement states.
Leaders across Vandalia Health are excited for the hospitals of Davis Health System to join the team, the release states, adding that both systems share the values of providing high quality care as close to home as possible.
"Davis Health System represents a broad array of critical health care services in the Potomac Highlands region of West Virginia," the release reads. "An acute care hospital and two critical access hospitals anchor the system's suite of other specialized care including cancer, surgical, behavioral and women's health, long-term care and others."
DHS includes a Cancer Care Center, a Women's HealthCare facility, Direct Care of Parsons, the DMC Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, a Better Sleep Center, and a Pain Management Clinic, as well as other services.
DHS employs nearly 1,000 healthcare professionals, according to the system's LinkedIn page.
Mon Health System and Charleston Area Medical Center (CAMC) Health System merged in September of last year to form Vandalia Health.
Vandalia Health has more than 12,000 employees, according to its website.