Four rural hospitals in northern NH have announced they are forming a new partnership. CEOs Russell Keene of Androscoggin Valley Hospital, Warren West of Littleton Regional Healthcare, Peter Gosline of Upper Connecticut Valley Hospital and Scott Howe of Weeks Medical Center have announced that they will form a nonprofit organization known as North Country Healthcare, expected to be in place in early 2016.
Keene said what is unique is that the hospitals are aligning and combining with each other, not a much larger third party.
Gosline said the formation of North Country Healthcare would preserve "access to high-quality, personal health care for people in the North Country," while positioning the four member hospitals "to meet future challenges."
Expected benefits include increased purchasing power and financial stability. While the expectation is that all the hospitals will offer the same high standard of care, specialized services may be limited to one or two facilities. Each hospital is committed to participate for three years, after which it may exercise an exit clause.
State Sen. Jeff Woodburn, D-Dalton, hailed the announcement about North Country Healthcare, and praised the CEOs for representing "a shining example of how to do regionalization."
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