Northwell Health to Expand Hudson Valley Presence with Nuvance Health Deal

NEW HYDE PARK—In a significant merger deal in the healthcare sector, Northwell Health and Nuvance Health, two nonprofit New York metro healthcare organizations, announced on Wednesday they had entered into a strategic agreement to form a new integrated regional health system serving communities across New York’s Hudson Valley and Connecticut.

The proposed agreement will allow the organizations to come together formally upon receipt of necessary regulatory approval. Northwell Health, based in New Hyde Park, operates five tertiary hospitals and five specialty care hospitals on Long Island, Manhattan and Staten Island. It also operates 11 community hospitals including Northern Westchester Hospital in Yorktown Heights and Phelps Hospital in Tarrytown in Westchester County. It also operates four urgent care centers in Westchester County in Dobbs Ferry, New Rochelle, Tarrytown and Yorktown Heights, where it also offers diagnostic imaging services. Northwell also opened an office in Orange County—Northwell Health Physician Partners Medicine at Monroe.

No financial details of the proposed transaction were released.

Danbury, CT-based Nuvance Health operates nonprofit hospitals and outpatient healthcare services throughout the Hudson Valley and western Connecticut, including Danbury Hospital and its New Milford campus, Norwalk Hospital and Sharon Hospital in Connecticut; Northern Dutchess Hospital (Rhinebeck), Putnam Hospital (Carmel) and Vassar Brothers Medical Center (Poughkeepsie) in New York State.

If the agreement is finalized, it will combine the strengths of both organizations and advance the level of care for patients in New York and Connecticut, the two institutions stated in an announcement. The new regional system will bring greater access to primary, specialty and hospital care through a diverse network of a combined 14,500 providers and more than 1,000 sites of care, including 28 hospitals. Northwell will make significant investments in Nuvance Health, helping it continue to evolve as a high-quality and comprehensive healthcare system serving communities throughout New York and Connecticut, Northwell officials stated.

“This partnership opens a new and exciting chapter for Northwell and Nuvance Health and provides an incredible opportunity to enhance both health systems and take patient care and services to an even higher level,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health. “We have similar missions in providing high-quality care for patients in the communities we serve. We look forward to building on the care that Nuvance Health’s 14,000 staff members and providers deliver each and every day.”

“By joining forces with Northwell Health, we are taking a giant leap forward in our shared mission to enhance the quality, accessibility and equity of the health care we provide to our communities,” said John M. Murphy, MD, president and CEO of Nuvance Health. “This agreement enables us to make significant improvements to health outcomes for community hospitals and to deliver unparalleled care and drive positive change in the healthcare landscape.”

When Nuvance Health joins Northwell, local communities will have access to coordinated care across western Connecticut, the Hudson Valley, New York City and Long Island. The care delivered in these sites would span the full range of ambulatory, hospital and post-acute services, Northwell stated in its press announcement.

Northwell and Nuvance also noted that the agreement would increase the opportunity to attract and retain top talent, including physicians, nurses, surgical and research specialists as well as allied health and business professionals. By coming together, medical staff and employees would have greater professional growth opportunities, new career prospects and the chance to work with some of the best in the industry. This could include academic pathways for health professionals to acquire additional degrees and for new graduates to fill high-demand positions.