Memorial Health System of East Texas and Catholic Health Initiatives Complete Transfer of Ownership

Memorial Health System of East Texas (Memorial) and Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) have signed a definitive agreement and transferred ownership of Memorial to CHI, effective June 1.

Memorial and CHI recognize that changes in the national health care landscape present challenges to a stand-alone heath care system. Being part of a national system is vital to the future success of health care organizations. Both are committed to strengthening health care in Texas.

“CHI is excited to welcome Memorial to our system and I’m pleased to announce that Gary Looper will continue as president and CEO of Memorial,” said CHI Chief Executive Officer Kevin Lofton. “As our presence in Texas grows so does our deeply held commitment to build strong relationships of lasting value to better serve the people of Texas. As part of CHI, Memorial also will benefit from CHI’s overall scale and reach as well as the exciting new ventures that CHI St. Luke’s Health is undertaking with the Baylor College of Medicine and the Texas Heart® Institute in Houston.”

“Memorial’s 65-year mission is expanded, strengthened, and secured through this transfer of ownership to CHI, said Gary Looper, president and CEO for Memorial. “CHI’s strong commitment and resources, national reach, and successful faith-based ministry make this an excellent fit for Memorial. We are excited about the opportunities that will be available through CHI’s other Texas affiliations.”

CHI has committed to preserve existing physician relationships in the community and build new ones. CHI is committed to creating a strong regional physician network to sustain and grow the network throughout the state.

CHI intends to retain the core health care services and charity care currently provided by Memorial in the East Texas community, which will be overseen by a local board of community and physician leaders.

About Memorial Health System of East Texas: As the largest health care system in the deep East Texas area, Memorial Health System of East Texas (Memorial) is a private, not-for-profit hospital system that provides more than a quarter of a million patient services each year. Since its inception in 1949, Memorial has paved the way for quality, innovative health care in East Texas.

Founded by East Texas industries, Memorial’s mission is to provide quality health care to the communities it serves. With hospitals in Lufkin, Livingston, San Augustine and Memorial Specialty – the area’s only long-term acute care hospital – Memorial provides millions of dollars in charity care and community support each year.

The system is home to the area's first dedicated heart and stroke care facility, the Cardiovascular & Stroke Center of East Texas, which is designated as the only Joint Commission Certified Primary Stroke Care facility in deep East Texas. Located in Lufkin, this center also offers the latest in cardiovascular care from a highly trained team of heart surgeons and cardiologists. Additionally, Memorial and The Heart Institute of East Texas, in a unique partnership, created the Memorial Cardiovascular Clinical Institute. Composed of the cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeon from Memorial Clinics and the cardiologists from The Heart Institute of East Texas, this Institute is designed to enhance the cardiovascular care Memorial provides to the people of deep East Texas. Most recently, Memorial opened a cardiac rehabilitation center for patients recovering from a cardiovascular event – such as a heart attack – or even surgery to promote cardiovascular health and individual well-being. The system is also home to a new dedicated heart and vascular imaging center.

Memorial offers a wide array of services, including radiation oncology at the Arthur Temple Sr. Regional Cancer Center, which consistently earns a three-year accreditation with commendation from the Commission on Cancer. The system also is known for providing the area's only comprehensive diabetes, heart and stroke education center. Other centers of excellence include the Memorial Imaging Centers that offer some of the most advanced procedures in the area, including PET/CT scanning for cancer and Alzheimer's, 128- and 64-slice CT scanning, open bore MRI, 4D ultrasound, and digital mammography. Other specialty areas include orthopedic care, women's services, inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, homecare, wound care and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, kidney & diabetes treatment, sleep disorders treatment and express lab.

About Catholic Health Initiatives:Catholic Health Initiatives, a nonprofit, faith-based health system formed in 1996 through the consolidation of four Catholic health systems, expresses its mission each day by creating and nurturing healthy communities in the hundreds of sites across the nation where it provides care. One of the nation’s largest health systems, Englewood, Colo.-based CHI operates in 18 states and comprises 89 hospitals, including four academic medical centers and teaching hospitals and 24 critical-access facilities; community health-services organizations; accredited nursing colleges; home-health agencies; and other facilities that span the inpatient and outpatient continuum of care. In fiscal year 2013, CHI provided $762 million in charity care and community benefit, including services for the poor, free clinics, education and research. For more information, visit www.catholichealth.net.