Borgess Health in Kalamazoo, part of Ascension Michigan, and Oaklawn Hospital in Marshall, Michigan, have formed a collaborative partnership that will expand access to high-quality, safe healthcare for the community. This partnership furthers the health systems’ shared vision of a clinically integrated system of care designed to improve care, enhance the experience for patients and care providers, and lower overall healthcare costs.
The partnership, which is effective immediately, formalizes an established relationship between the two facilities through which Borgess-affiliated emergency physicians and some Borgess specialty physicians provide services to patients at Oaklawn Hospital. This new agreement will benefit patients by providing better access to more types of care and broadening services geographically.
The hospitals are not merging, but will collaborate through an oversight committee made up of an equal number of individuals from each hospital. This committee will evaluate strategic initiatives to improve access to care for individuals across the area and make recommendations to a Board of Managers consisting of the Chief Executive Officer of each hospital, who will share decision-making responsibility.
This unique partnership allows the two high-quality hospitals to work together for the betterment of the community while remaining separate. The partnership is named THINK Health. THINK is an acronym for transformation, healing, inspiration, nurturing, knowledge.
“We are very excited about this partnership with Borgess,” said Ginger Williams, MD, President and CEO of Oaklawn Hospital. “Our values line up very well and we can see tremendous opportunities being developed together. This will be a great expansion of our existing relationship with the excellent team at Borgess.”
“This forward-thinking collaboration allows us to work together with the common goal of improving healthcare services and access,” said Kathy A. Young, President and CEO of Borgess Health. “Our ability to deliver safe, high-quality care and enhance the patient experience for the individuals we serve across the region is enhanced by working more closely with the caregivers and physicians of Oaklawn Hospital.”
“Across Michigan, the health ministries of Ascension are building new relationships and partnerships with physicians and other providers of care to improve access to a wide scope of services for those we’re privileged to serve,” said Gwen MacKenzie, Senior Vice President, Ascension Health/Michigan Ministry Market Executive. “This agreement between Borgess and Oaklawn Hospital – like the creation in 2014 of Together Health Network by Ascension Michigan, the Michigan health ministries of Trinity Health and our thousands of physician partners – advances our goal of providing patients convenient, coordinated, comprehensive care across the continuum.”
