Trinitas Health/Trinitas Regional Medical Center and RWJBarnabas Health Merger
CORPORATE STRUCTURE
Trinitas Regional Medical Center (TRMC) in Elizabeth was established in 2000 when St. Elizabeth Hospital and Elizabeth General Medical Center consolidated. It operates on two campuses with 554 beds, which includes a 120-bed long-term care facility. Trinitas is a Catholic teaching hospital sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth.
RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) is one of the largest health care systems in New Jersey. It is comprised of 13 acute care hospitals, 4 children’s hospitals, and almost 200 subsidiary locations in the state providing urgent care, outpatient pediatric care, surgical care, rehabilitation and sports medicine, pharmacies, nursing facilities, imaging, laboratories, day care centers, and its medical school. RWJBarnabas has approximately 32,000 employees, 9,000 physicians, and 1,000 residents and interns.
Both health systems are non-profit and therefore subject only to the CHAPA process through the New Jersey Attorney General’s office.
CHAPA PROCESS
When two non-profit health systems announce an intention to merge, they must contact the New Jersey Attorney General’s office and begin the Community Health Assets Protection Act (CHAPA) process. This begins with submission of a Letter of Intent, followed with the AG’s office requesting information and documentation including financial statements, fair value appraisals, board meeting minutes, conflict of interest statements from board members and key employees, any consultant reports, and hierarchy charts. Once the AG’s office is satisfied with the information submitted, it will post an announcement for a public hearing, at which members from the community may speak in favor of or against the proposed merger. The AG’s office writes a recommendation, sending it to the Superior Court, which gives the final approval (or denial) based on the AG’s report.
HIGHLIGHTS: DEFINITIVE AGREEMENT
RWJBarnabas will be with sole member of Trinitas Health, and Trinitas Health with merge with Trinitas Regional Medical Center, no longer having a separate existence. The post-closing covenants include: maintenance of TRMC’s key service lines for seven years after closing date; TRMC will have its own board of trustees that shall not allow TRMC to cease to operate as an acute care hospital or allow material changes in Key service lines; creation of a comprehensive program of physician recruitment; TRMC shall be allowed a representative on the RWJBH Board of Trustees and with representation on the finance/operations and strategic planning committees; and creation of a strategic plan with 180 days of closing.
Financially, RWJBH commits to providing $267.7 million, investing in ambulatory facilities, capital improvements, physician recruitment, costs of integration of TRMC into RWJBH, and long-term liabilities.
RWJBH will also comply with the Catholic Commitments, agreeing to maintain TRMC’s operation under the aegis of Catholic doctrine. TRMC will continue to comply with the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERD). Failure to comply with the ERD will lead to the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth to withdraw sponsorship of the hospital.
A reduction of the workforce will not be implemented for at least the first year of operation under RWJBH. Employee benefits will stay the same until RWJBH harmonizes TRMC plans with RWJBH Network plans.
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Resources
- Impact of Hospital Mergers
- Merger Laws and Regulations
- Merger Glossary
- New Jersey Open Records Act Request Form
- Cooper University Health and Cape Regional Health Merger
- Capital Health System and Trinity Health Saint Francis Medical Center Merger
- Salem Medical Center and Inspira Health Network Merger
- Prospect East Orange General Hospital May Be Purchased By EOH Acquisition Group, LLC
- CentraState Health System and Atlantic Health System Merger
- Einstein Healthcare Network and Jefferson University Hospitals Merger
- Trinitas Health/Trinitas Regional Medical Center and RWJBarnabas Health Merger
- St. Peter’s Healthcare System and RWJBarnabas Health Merger
- Englewood Health and Hackensack Meridian Health Merger
- Virtua Health System and Lourdes (Trinity Health) Hospitals Merger
- Carrier Clinic And Hackensack Meridian Health Merger
- Community Healthcare Associates' Purchase of Memorial Hospital of Salem County
- JFK Health System And Hackensack Meridian Health Merger
- Cooper Health System And Trinity Health Hospitals Merger
- Meadowlands Hospital Medical Center Bought By Real Estate Developer Yan Moshe
- Thomas Jefferson University-Kennedy Health System Merger
- Hackensack University Health Network and Meridian Health Merger
- Saint Michael's Medical Center Bought by Prime Healthcare Services, Inc.
- East Orange Hospital Bought by Prospect Medical Holdings
- Robert Wood Johnson Health Care Corporation and Barnabas Health, Inc.
- RWJ Barnabas Health and Rutgers Proposed Partnership
- Palisades Medical Center and Hackensack University Health Network Merger
- Raritan Bay Medical Centers and Meridian Health Merger
- Hackettstown Regional Medical Center Bought by Atlantic Health System, Inc.
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