BY Adventist HealthCare Staff

Adventist HealthCare (AHC), based in Gaithersburg, Maryland, has
announced plans to transfer their 111-bed, New Jersey-based Hackettstown
Regional Medical Center to Atlantic Health System. AHC officials noted that the
transaction is subject to state regulatory review and could take several
months. If approved, Atlantic Health System will pay $54 million for the
property.

“This
decision was not an easy one for our organization because Hackettstown has been
a valued member of Adventist HealthCare,” said William G. “Bill” Robertson,
AHC’s president and CEO. “However, because of the changing healthcare
market in New Jersey, discussions began a few years ago about the best step to
continue to ensure a strong future for the hospital and the community it
serves. It was decided that by partnering with a health system in its region,
Hackettstown would be in a better position to serve its community and receive
help with future growth opportunities.”

He added
that while the hospital provides high-quality healthcare services, operating as
a community hospital post-healthcare reform is challenging. Robertson said that
Atlantic Health will ensure that Hackettstown continues to provide charity care
for the community and maintain its successful chaplaincy program.

AHC is an
entity of the Columbia Union Conference with five hospitals, numerous other
health facilities and expanding services in the Washington, D.C., region, which
it has served for more than 100 years. Hackettstown Regional Medical Center is
the only Adventist HealthCare facility in New Jersey.

“Our
efforts to ensure a vibrant future for Hackettstown will allow Adventist
HealthCare to focus even more intently on its mission to serve communities in
the Washington, D.C., area,” Robertson said. This focus includes:

• The
  current proposal for relocating Washington Adventist Hospital to White Oak and
  continued services on its Takoma Park campus

• Future
  plans for the three entities on the Shady Grove campus near Rockville: Shady
  Grove Adventist Hospital; Adventist Behavioral Health; and Adventist
  Rehabilitation Hospital of Maryland

• Continued
  physician partnerships and new outpatient facilities throughout the Washington,
  D.C., region that will help AHC adapt to healthcare reform

Hackettstown
Regional Medical Center and Atlantic Health System hospitals have shared a
strong history of clinical affiliation and joining Atlantic Health System would
provide clear benefits to the community and help, in coming years, to advance
healthcare in New Jersey.

“Our
patients are familiar with the excellent caliber of care and extensive services
offered by Atlantic Health System hospitals,” said Jason Coe, president of the
Hackettstown Regional Medical Center. “Joining the Atlantic Health System
family will give the Hackettstown community access to more specialists and
services throughout the system, from cardiovascular to neonatal, to oncology,
neuroscience and more.”

Atlantic
Health System, one of the most recognized not-for-profit health care
organizations in New Jersey, also owns and operates Morristown Medical Center,
Overlook Medical Center, Newton Medical Center, Chilton Medical Center and
Goryeb Children’s Hospital. Under Atlantic Health System ownership,
Hackettstown Regional Medical Center will remain a nonprofit, acute care
general hospital.

“Adding
Hackettstown Regional Medical Center to the Atlantic Health System family is a
natural fit,” said Joseph A. Trunfio, president and CEO of Atlantic Health
System. “The hospital has served its community and region for decades, and this
affiliation will provide patients in the area with expanded access to high
quality, specialized services and programs.”