By ASHLEY SAARI – Monadnock Ledger-Transcript
Monadnock Community Hospital is starting off the new year officially affiliated with two other hospitals.
“This affiliation will allow us to better serve our patients in the Monadnock region,” said Cynthia McGuire, MCH president and CEO.
MCH’s affiliation with Catholic Medical Center and Huggins Hospital – forming a new organization under the name of GraniteOne Health – has been in the works for a year now. As of the turning of the new year, the partnership has become official.
“Collaboration and cooperation with our partners is the key to success as we adapt to new healthcare delivery models,” said McGuire. “We look forward to developing a system that positions us for the future and which values health care at the local, community level. Together we are stronger.”
Both Huggins and Monadnock have long-standing clinical relationships with CMC in specialty areas such as cardiology and vascular care. GraniteOne allows the hospitals to explore further collaborations in clinical areas as well as other services.
“It is exciting to design a healthcare system that understands and will meet the specific needs of our local communities,” said Jeremy Roberge, Huggins Hospital president and CEO. “Our patients and our employees have remained our top priority throughout this process and I’m confident GraniteOne will benefit them both.”
As a part of the affiliation agreement, each partner hospital will have representation on the GraniteOne Health Board of Trustees, which will develop the strategic direction and initiatives for the system. However, the individual hospitals will maintain their local boards, identity, and assets – so Monadnock Community Hospital remains Monadnock Community Hospital.
Of the GraniteOne Health board, CMC will have seven trustees, MCH and Huggins one trustee each, and each hospital’s CEO will sit as an ex-officio with full voting rights, as well as the CEO of GraniteOne, Dr. Joseph Pepe, who is also the CEO of CMC.
MCH is a 25-bed critical access hospital located in Peterborough. CMC is a 330-bed acute care hospital in Manchester. Huggins Hospital is a 25-bed critical access hospital in Wolfeboro.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.
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