PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — As Oregonians await another opportunity to weigh in on the potential merger of two health systems, legislators have expressed support for the proposal.
In a letter sent to the Oregon Health Authority on Wednesday, seven lawmakers urged Interim Director Fariborz Pakseresht to approve Salem Health Hospitals & Clinics’ plans to join forces with Santiam Hospital & Clinics. This comes just weeks after the organizations requested that OHA grant an emergency exemption for the acquisition, claiming that Santiam Hospital is facing “imminent risk of insolvency.”
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State leaders are now arguing the joint organization would allow the 73-year-old health system to maintain its service in the mid-Willamette Valley by partnering with another local nonprofit.
“We recognize that the Oregon Health Authority has an important responsibility to carefully review healthcare transactions to ensure they serve the public interest,” legislators wrote. “At the same time, extraordinary circumstances sometimes require timely action. Based on information provided by Santiam Hospital and the public record, the hospital is facing significant financial and operational challenges that place its long-term viability at risk. Continued delays only increase the uncertainty facing patients, employees, physicians, and the communities Santiam serves.”…