On Monday, March 30, an important announcement regarding Project Horizon was given to leadership staff. In attendance were members of SCL Health who shared their utmost gratitude and excitement about the possibilities of collaborating with PVMC. In case you missed the announcement yesterday, here it is again:

Platte Valley Medical Center and SCL Health have signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to provide expanded access to the best quality health care for our community. Signing the LOI means we are pursuing a relationship that will advance health care in our region for years to come. We expect to spend the next several months working on the details of an affiliation and hope to sign a Definitive Agreement by the end of the summer.

From the beginning of this process, our goal was to provide our patients and community the resources to access the best possible health care at Platte Valley Medical Center. The PVMC/SCL Health relationship is about creating synergy between two well-matched organizations that each has a reputation for delivering high-quality, compassionate care. Together, we can successfully build the network and services required to fulfill the needs of the community and become “the” regional medical center serving the community of Brighton and surrounding area. In addition, we anticipate that this relationship will allow us to continue our patient-centered culture, and maintain our strong group of physicians and staff.

“SCL Health is both humbled and excited about partnering with PVMC. We see the opportunity to bring together two nonprofit, mission-driven organizations that are financially sound in a way that strengthens our commitment to our patients, employees, physicians and the community,” said SCL Health President and CEO Mike Slubowski. “In addition to our shared culture of excellence, SCL Health and PVMC both have strong charitable traditions that will continue,” added Slubowski.

Under the proposed arrangement, we will remain a separate, secular (non-faith based) entity with our own administration, medical staff, employees and board of directors. The Platte Valley Medical Center Foundation’s relationship with the hospital will also remain unchanged.

Another benefit of this combination is SCL Health’s partnership with Kaiser Permanente in Adams County, which may extend to PVMC the opportunity to serve Kaiser members. These are among the countless other details yet to be worked through.

“I am very excited about this opportunity and our future,” says PVMC President/CEO John Hicks. “While PVMC has accomplished many great things, coming together with SCL Health in a committed relationship, will bring and free up considerable resources allowing us to expand available specialties and services. When a definitive agreement is reached, it will be announced and – more important – celebrated.”

To learn more about the proposed agreement, SCL Health, and to submit a question, visit our web site.