Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, has signed a definitive agreement to join US-based integrated health system WellSpan Health.  

The merger, which is subject to regulatory approval, will see Evangelical Community Hospital become WellSpan Evangelical Community Hospital on approximately 1 July 2024.  

It will also see Evangelical’s accompanying care network, catering to the Central Susquehanna Valley population, become part of WellSpan.  

Evangelical Community Hospital operates 131 licensed beds and offers a wide range of inpatient and outpatient services, with a workforce of 1,900 individuals and over 170 employed and non-employed physicians. 

The hospital serves a significant population in the Northumberland, Lycoming, Snyder, and Union counties. 

The merger is set to expand the reach of the two organisations across 12 counties in Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland, improving community-based healthcare services in the region. 

In addition, the agreement will see WellSpan Health's integrated delivery system, which covers over 21,000 team members, 2,000 employed providers, eight hospitals, and 220 sites, combining with Evangelical.  

WellSpan’s network, which also includes a behavioural health network and a Level 1 Trauma Centre, mainly caters to the residents in the Cumberland, Adams, Franklin, Lancaster, Lebanon, and York counties in Pennsylvania, as well as Washington and Frederick counties in Maryland. 

Upon completion of the deal, the two organisations will collectively serve over 1.3 million patients across 12 counties. 

Evangelical Community Hospital president and CEO Kendra Aucker said: “We recognise the shared vision WellSpan has for community-based care, and we were deliberate in the decision to choose a partner who would ensure our patients continue to receive the high quality care they have come to expect from Evangelical Community Hospital.” 

WellSpan's value-based care approach, driven by clinical service lines and the WellSpan Medical Group in collaboration with the WellSpan Provider Network, will be a key component of the affiliation.  

The union is expected to improve advanced speciality care, leveraging technology to enhance treatments and expand access through shared digital health innovations and graduate medical education resources. 

In addition, a new philanthropic foundation will be established to provide a community pathway for hospital support that is similar to WellSpan’s existing hospital foundations.