Cone Health and Sentara Healthcare have been working toward uniting into one entity since August 2020.
Wednesday, June 2, it was announced that Cone and Sentara had mutually agreed not to move forward with the affiliation.
The press release from Cone Health states, “Since announcing our intent to affiliate, both Cone Health and Sentara Healthcare have remained committed to doing what is in the best interests of all those we have the privilege to serve. Leadership from both organizations began working in earnest on bringing our two organizations together in early 2021. As this work progressed, we realized that each of our communities and key stakeholders require support and commitments from our respective organizations that are better served by remaining independent. The decision was a difficult one, but both organizations remain committed to advancing our common goal of providing outstanding care for our respective communities.”
Chief Executive Officer of Cone Health Terry Akin said, “We appreciate the efforts of Sentara to work with Cone Health to determine whether an affiliation of our two high-performing organizations is in the best interest of those we serve. Recently, in the final analysis, we mutually decided that we can best serve our communities by remaining independent organizations. We have developed a high regard for the excellent services and outcomes Sentara delivers and we expect both our organizations to continue to advance our common goals of providing outstanding care for our respective communities.”
Greensboro City Councilmember Justin Outling, who is running for mayor, has sent out several campaign emails since the merger was announced stating that the people of Greensboro needed more information about the merger.
Outling noted in an April 15 email that Cone Health is the city’s largest employer and stated, “More than that, Cone Health is a community partner with a long history of making major contributions to local endowments and foundations to benefit the Greensboro community. So, news stories about its merger with a Virginia based firm have naturally left people with concerns and questions.
Outling didn’t take a position on the proposed merger but said that more information was needed about what the benefits would not simply for Cone but for Greensboro.
Good thing for us. Merging was growing bigger and the bigger Cone has become the more impersonal and less excellent their care has been based on memories of those who knew the service received back in the day when Cone Hospital was just a hospital. We hope that the administrators will put all the effort they had in this merger into making ConeHealth employees happier, giving them better working conditions and benefits so they retain the best professionals, and put in more parking for staff, family and visitors.
I go to Duke .. doesn’t matter what Cone does .. small town hospitals are just that . Small town hospitals .. Greensboro is very near Duke which is world renowned .. I’ll do the extra time to do the 45 minute drive