Sylvania Franciscan Health and Catholic Health Initiatives Complete Transfer of SFH Sponsorship to CHI

Sylvania Franciscan Health (SFH) and Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) completed the transfer of sponsorship of SFH from the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, to CHI effective Nov. 1.

Under the terms of the definitive agreement, CHI becomes the sole sponsor of Sylvania Franciscan Health, which includes Franciscan Living Communities in Kentucky and Ohio, St. Joseph Health System in the Brazos Valley region of Texas, Trinity Hospital Twin Cities in Eastern Ohio, and the Trinity Health System Region joint venture in Eastern Ohio near the West Virginia border.

In addition, the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, will become CHI’s 13th participating congregation and continue to influence the health care landscape in this new role. The Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, will continue to sponsor their health and human services ministries of Bethany House, Our Lady of Grace, Rosary Care Center, the Sophia Center, and Convent Park Apartments, as well as their education ministry of Lourdes University.

The congregation’s decision to transfer sponsorship of SFH is a recognition that health care is rapidly changing and moving to a new model – one in which organizations are expected to offer integrated systems of care for specific geographical populations. As a result, many smaller health systems are joining larger systems to expand their care within existing regions.

“CHI welcomes SFH’s health ministries in Ohio, Texas, and Kentucky. SFH’s alignment with CHI sustains and bolsters our ministry and mission and their facilities will be strengthened through alignment with CHI,” said CHI Chief Executive Officer Kevin Lofton. “We are honored that the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, join us as a participating congregation. The Sisters have created a strong foundation for Catholic health care, and our shared values will enable us to better achieve health care’s ‘triple aim’ of quality care, enhanced health and reduced cost.”

SFH has skillfully navigated recent industry changes. However, integrating with CHI will allow SFH to build on the existing strength of its health system, better support the expanding health care needs of the communities it serves, and sustain SFH’s mission and core values into the future.

“As part of CHI, we will bring the best of both of our health systems to the communities we serve and we will continue to thrive in this new era of health care,” said Sylvania Franciscan Health CEO Jim Pope. “I’m incredibly proud of how our employees and physicians have remained focused on delivering the highest quality, most compassionate care to our patients and residents throughout this process.”

The Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio, chose to affiliate with CHI because it brings many benefits to the communities SFH serves:

• CHI operates across the continuum of care that is key to the new model in American health care delivery.
• CHI and SFH share similar beginnings and mutual respect.
• CHI brings cultural compatibility with the SFH’s core values of reverence, service and stewardship.

“When we embarked on this journey, the communities we serve were our highest priority. With CHI as the sponsor of our health and human services ministry, we will ensure these communities continue to receive the health care that they need far into the future. We’re honored that CHI has chosen the Sisters of St. Francis as its 13th participating congregation,” Sister Mary Jon Wagner, Congregational Minister, Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio.

Together, CHI and SFH will navigate the new era of health care and develop innovative ways to build healthier communities.

CHI anticipates that substantially all SFH employees will retain their current positions.

About Sylvania Franciscan Health: Sylvania Franciscan Health is the sponsored health and human services ministry of the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania, Ohio. With core values of Reverence, Service and Stewardship at the forefront of its mission, the ministry serves communities throughout the United States. Membership organizations, with various locations in Ohio, Texas and Kentucky, currently include seven hospitals, seven long-term care facilities, four assisted living facilities, independent senior housing, ambulatory care centers, home health services, rehabilitation centers, a counseling center, and a long-term shelter for victims of domestic violence.

About the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania: Founded in Sylvania, Ohio in 1916, the Sisters of St. Francis live in the spirit of Francis of Assisi as joyful servants and messengers of peace, committed to works that reverence human dignity, embrace the poor and marginalized, and respect the gift of all creation. Sponsored ministries of the Sisters of St. Francis are Lourdes University, which includes the Franciscan Theater and Conference Center, and Sylvania Franciscan Health, with hospitals, nursing homes and retirement communities in Ohio, Kentucky and Texas.

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 96 hospitals, including four academic health centers and teaching hospitals and 26 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 2014, CHI provided $910 million in charity care and community benefit -- a nearly 20% increase over the previous year -- for programs and services for the poor, free clinics, education and research. Charity care and community benefit reached more than $1.7 billion with the inclusion of the unpaid costs of Medicare. The health system, which generated revenues of almost $13.9 billion in FY14, has total assets of $21.8 billion. Learn more at www.catholichealthinitiatives.org