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Cabell County Commission unanimously approves acquisition of St. Mary’s Medical Center by Cabell Huntington Hospital
Summary
On Oct. 9, 2014, the Cabell County Commission voted unanimously to approve the acquisition of St. Mary’s Medical Center by Cabell Huntington Hospital after presentations from hospital leaders and a union representative who said employees supported the merger.
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — The Cabell County Commission voted unanimously on Oct. 9 to approve the acquisition of St. Mary’s Medical Center by Cabell Huntington Hospital following presentations from executives of both institutions and a union representative who urged support for the merger.
Commission President Nancy Cartmill called the meeting to order at 10:00 a.m. and the item was brought before the Commission after several presentations. David Graley, chief operating officer and vice president of Cabell Huntington Hospital; Monty Ward, chief financial officer and senior vice president; Dr. Hoyt Jeffrey Burdick, chief medical officer; and Kevin Fowler, chief operating officer, outlined anticipated operational and patient-care benefits. “The merger would create a fully integrated patient system, which would allow a much greater ease of sharing patient information between doctors and facilities,” Dr. Hoyt Jeffrey Burdick said at the meeting. Monty Ward added that the consolidation could avoid duplication of equipment and services and produce cost savings; he also noted that hospital rates in West Virginia are regulated by the West Virginia Health Care Authority.
Mark Johnson, business manager of the Tri State Building Trades Council, spoke during the public-comment portion in favor of the merger, saying the council and hospital employees it had spoken with believed a local owner would better serve employees and the community. “All current employees would remain working in their existing capacities,” Johnson said. Commissioner Robert L. Bailey told the commission he had spoken with regional union leaders and U.S. Senator Joe Manchin, and said they supported the merger; Bailey moved to approve the acquisition.
The Commission approved the acquisition on a motion by Commissioner Robert L. Bailey with a second from Commissioner Anne Yon; the vote was recorded as unanimous. The meeting record shows no formal dissenting statements on the floor.
The hospital representatives framed the transaction as an operational consolidation aimed at patient-care coordination and efficiency; these claims were presented by hospital executives and the union representative at the meeting and were not independently verified during the session.
The Commission’s action was recorded as Exhibit (D) in the meeting materials. The meeting adjourned at 10:45 a.m.
