Adventist Adding Ottawa Hospital to Network

The owners of Shawnee Mission Health, an anchor for acute-care hospital services in Johnson County, have expanded their reach to Ottawa, 45 miles to the southwest.

The medical center’s parent, Florida-based Adventist Health System, says it has signed a letter of intent to affiliate with 44-bed Ransom Memorial Health in nearby Franklin County. Adventist Health System will lease and operate Ransom Memorial Hospital and its outpatient entities. 

Assuming the transaction is completed by its early 2019 projected date, Ransom Memorial will join Adventist’s Mid-America Region, the third hospital in the regional network.

“We look forward to this next level of partnership with Ransom Memorial Health,” said Sam Huenergardt, president and CEO of the Mid-America Region of Adventist Health System and Shawnee Mission Health. “Together, we will continue to extend the healing ministry of Christ by providing whole-person care to the Ottawa and Franklin County communities.”

The due diligence and discovery process continues for the next four months and will allow for both Adventist Health System and Ransom Memorial Health to best plan for the future of the hospital, Adventist said in a release announcing the alliance. 

“As a community hospital, it was essential that we unite with another community-focused organization to continue providing remarkable care to Franklin County and the surrounding areas,” said Matt Heyn, president and CEO of Ransom Memorial Health. “We’ve partnered with Shawnee Mission Health for the last few years regionally, and their commitment to quality with the support and resources of a national health system is what will allow us to continue improving the health of our communities.”