PMH Trustees OK Affiliation with Duke LifePoint

Person Memorial Hospital in Roxboro, NC, announced Friday that it plans to become the second hospital to affiliate with Duke LifePoint Healthcare, a joint venture of Duke University Health System, Inc. and LifePoint Hospitals.

PMH's board of trustees approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding that allows the 110-bed, community owned hospital and Duke LifePoint to negotiate the acquisition, PMC said.

"Over the last several months, our Board has been working to develop a strategic plan that will effectively strengthen our hospital for the future," Robby Jones, chairman of the PMH Board of Trustees, said in a media release. "As we explored our options to secure the future of the hospital to continue to serve the people of Person County, it became clear that an affiliation would be critical to the future of our hospital.  As we explored our partnering options, Duke LifePoint emerged as a great fit for our hospital.  Duke LifePoint shares our commitment to our employees and medical staff, to quality healthcare and clinical operations and to the community. We look forward to examining this proposed partnership further in the weeks to come."

Duke LifePoint is a joint venture formed last year between Duke University Health System and LifePoint Hospitals to create a network of affiliated community hospitals throughout North Carolina. The venture combines Brentwood, TN-based LifePoint's operational resources and management of community-based hospitals with Duke's clinical and quality services expertise. If the deal is finalized, PMH will become the second hospital in the Duke LifePoint network. The first hospital, Maria Parham Medical Center in Henderson, NC, entered the affiliation in January.