Bon Secours Health System merges with Ohio-based Catholic network

The Bon Secours Health System, a Marriottsville-based health ministry with roots in Baltimore that date to the 19th century, announced Feb. 21 its intention to merge with Mercy Health, which ministers in Ohio and Kentucky.

According to a joint news release, the merger would create “one of the largest health systems in the country spanning seven states in the eastern half of the U.S.”

Bon Secours sponsors operations in Maryland, Virginia, South Carolina, Kentucky, Florida and New York. Its footprint in the Archdiocese of Baltimore began in the late 1870s, when the Sisters of Bon Secours came here from Paris.

In 1919, they opened Bon Secours Hospital, which continues to serve in West Baltimore, where health crises range from gun violence to high rates of diabetes. Its local mission includes several behavioral health facilities, including one at the former St. Martin Catholic Church, which offer education and housing referrals.

“We are guided by our shared faith and commitment to partner with communities to create a more humane world, build social justice for all, especially the poor and dying,” Bon Secours Sister Patricia A. Eck, chairwoman of Bon Secours Ministries, said in the news release. “This merger ensures a strong future for our shared health ministry as we work to bring health and wholeness to those we so humbly serve.”

Mercy Health is the largest health system in Ohio, and it also sponsors institutions in Kentucky.

According to the news release, the merger would create the fifth-largest Catholic health system in the nation, with $8 billion in net operating revenue and $293 million in operating income. It would encompass 57,000 employees and more than 2,100 physicians.

“The mission, vision, values and geographic service areas of Bon Secours and Mercy Health are remarkably well-aligned and highly complementary,” said Richard J. Statuto, President and CEO of Bon Secours Health System, in the news release. “This merger strengthens our shared commitment to improve population health, eliminate health disparities, build strength to address social determinants of health, and invest heavily in innovating our approaches to health care.”

The Mercy system in Ohio is not linked to Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore.

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