Guernsey Health Systems and OhioHealth Take First Step Toward Stronger Partnership

Guernsey Health Systems (GHS) and OhioHealth announced today that both parties have signed a non-binding letter of intent to explore a stronger partnership between the two systems. This letter of intent will allow for more detailed information sharing between the organizations.

GHS, which owns Southeastern Ohio Regional Medical Center in Cambridge, entered into a five-year management agreement with OhioHealth that began in 2018 to provide management oversight and executive leadership at the health system.

Since that time, OhioHealth and GHS have partnered to open the Wm L. Baker Family Medical Building and the John W. and Edna McManus Shepard Cancer Center, have streamlined hospital operations and brought in new physicians and services to keep advanced care close to home for the residents of Guernsey, Noble and surrounding counties.

“In today’s healthcare environment, collaboration with a large health system like OhioHealth has many advantages, from increased purchasing power, to enhanced quality measures, to the multitude of resources and expertise inherent in a system like OhioHealth,” said Shawn Ray, board chair, Guernsey Health Systems. “The Guernsey Health Systems Board is committed to sustaining the high-quality, high-touch care we’ve always provided and ensuring Southeastern Med continues to be in a position to deliver that care for decades to come.”

OhioHealth and Southeastern Med’s working relationship began in 2017 when the health systems entered into a strategic partnership to enhance quality, improve efficiency and bring new services to the hospital, which led to expanded cardiology services, virtual genetic counseling and increased access to the OhioHealth Stroke Network to provide faster treatment and better outcomes for stroke patients. These past successes have laid the groundwork for a closer relationship between the two parties.

“We are honored to begin exploring the possibility of a stronger relationship with Guernsey Health Systems,” said Cheryl Herbert, senior vice president of regional operations, OhioHealth. “We have a shared vision to keep advanced care close to home in Cambridge and to ensure Southeastern Med continues to provide high-quality health care services to the residents of Southeastern Ohio just as it has for nearly 70 years.”

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