St. Joseph Medical Center board recommends buyer

St. Joseph Medical Center took another step in choosing a buyer for its Towson campus. The hospital said the board made a recommendation Monday to the parent company, Catholic Health Initiatives, which has the final say. Officials declined to identify the board's choice. But the three finalists were LifeBridge Health, which owns Sinai and Northwest hospitals; Ascension Health, which owns St. Agnes Hospital; and the University of Maryland Medical System. St. Agnes is the only Catholic hospital among the bidders, but St. Joseph's said all three systems agreed to honor its "Catholic identity and religious heritage."