Methodist Hospital in Henderson has finalized its affiliation agreement with Evansville-based Deaconess Health System.
As of 12:33 Friday afternoon, Methodist has become what administrators are calling a “Deaconess network affiliate.”
Deaconess will own a third of Methodist and get a minority stake in its board, but the hospitals will remain independent.
Deaconess will invest in renovations to the emergency department at the Methodist Hospital in Union County. Deaconess will also renovate office space at the Methodist Hospital in Henderson.
Methodist Hospital President and CEO Benny Nolen said staff size will not change for now, but he hopes for future growth.
Deaconess and Methodist have been in talks for more than three years, but Nolen said they took off in April 2017.
Methodist is not the first area hospital to affiliate with Deaconess. Several others have joined the network in recent years, including Gibson General Hospital in Princeton and Ferrel Hospital in Eldorado, Ill.
Nolen said he spoke with the presidents of those hospitals. "Both of them could not say enough very positive things about what had transpired with their affiliation," he said.
The hospital will no longer be affiliated with the United Methodist Church.