By GREGORY ZELLER //
It’s official: Nuvance Health is now part of Northwell Health.
The merger of the two health systems – first announced in February 2024, greenlit last August by the attorneys general of Connecticut and New York, authorized in September by the New York State Public Health and Health Planning Council and approved in April by Connecticut’s Office of Health Strategy – creates the largest healthcare system in the Northeast region, with a combined $22.6 billion operating budget.
While Nuvance now flies the Northwell banner, Northwell did not actually “buy” the Connecticut system, which operates Danbury Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, Sharon Hospital and New Milford Hospital in Connecticut, as well as three hospitals in New York: Putnam Hospital Center, Northern Dutchess Hospital and Vassar Brothers Medical Center, all in the Hudson Valley region.
Instead, the New Hyde Park-based mothership has agreed to invest “at least $1 billion” in Nuvance operations, according to a Northwell Health press release – a major victory for a Connecticut system that has teetered on the edge of bankruptcy after suffering years’ worth of well-documented financial stress.
Margaret Crotty: Value added.
The union creates a bona fide healthcare behemoth: By adding Nuvance’s resources, Northwell now boasts 28 hospitals, 1,000-plus ambulatory-care centers, more than 70 urgent-care facilities and a two-state employee roster eclipsing 104,000 staffers, including 13,500 providers and 22,000 nurses.
Beyond the impressive numbers, it also “marks a commitment to the future of healthcare in the region,” according to Northwell Health President and CEO Michael Dowling, who trumpeted the two health systems’ “similar missions in providing high-quality care for patients in the communities we serve.”
“This partnership opens a new and exciting chapter for Northwell Health and Nuvance Health to take patient care and services to an even higher level,” Dowling noted. “We look forward to building on the world-class care that Nuvance Health’s staff members and providers deliver every day.”
A $1 billion investment is nothing to sneeze at – but sharing in Northwell’s unparalleled scientific knowledge is pure gold, according to Nuvance Health President and CEO John Murphy.
“At Nuvance Health, we have always been deeply committed to delivering high-quality, compassionate care to our communities,” Murphy said. “Joining forces with Northwell Health strengthens our ability to meet the evolving needs of patients and ensures we can provide exceptional care for generations to come.
“This is a transformative moment for our patients, employees and the communities we serve,” he added.
With the merger complete, upgrades across the two systems are expected to come fast and furious. Topping the regionally aligned two-state agenda is a slate of comprehensive efforts designed to encourage healthier communities, recruit top talent, create new academic pathways for current and future providers and significantly advance medical innovation.
Welcome to the family: Norwalk Hospital, a 366-bed acute-care teaching hospital, is one of the new properties added to Northwell Health’s expanded portfolio.
Basically, according to Northwell Health Board of Trustees Chairwoman Margaret Crotty, everything you could want from a gargantuan, forward-looking 21st Century healthcare system.
“This is an unprecedented opportunity to build a more integrated, regionally connected health system across New York and Connecticut,” Crotty said in a statement. “It is based on our aligned commitments to expanding access to excellent care and to recruiting and retaining the best clinical talent.
“The Northwell board is confident this new partnership will bring great value to both organizations.”
