Ohio Valley hospital system drops merger plans

The parent corporation of two local hospitals is searching for a new financial partner after deciding it does not want to join forces with Tennessee-based Community Health Systems. On June 6, board members for Ohio Valley Health Services & Education Corporation—parent company of Ohio Valley Medical Center and East Ohio Regional Hospital—announced they were going through a "due diligence" process to determine whether to partner financially with CHS. The move would have resulted in the hospitals being partially or wholly owned by CHS. At the time, board members believed a final deal would be reached this fall, but said Thursday the negotiations had ceased.