Published on January 04, 2021
Owensboro Health signs letter of intent with Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center
Partnership with Leitchfield-based hospital could be official by late summer
OWENSBORO, Ky. (Apr. 13, 2020) – Owensboro Health and Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center have signed an official letter of intent, an agreement that opens the door for the Leitchfield-based hospital to officially join Owensboro Health later this summer. Once formal terms are reached, Twin Lakes would become the third hospital in the Owensboro Health system, joining Owensboro Health Regional Hospital and Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital.
“For both organizations, this is an exciting day that holds tremendous promise for the future of healthcare in our region,” said Greg Strahan, president and CEO of Owensboro Health. “By working together as one system, we can help more people and have a significant impact on the communities we serve, and that is a vision we all share.”
Last August, Twin Lakes announced that it would seek a strategic partnership with another health system that could strengthen its market position, assist with resources and management practices, and enhance the long-term viability of the hospital. Over an eight-month period, Twin Lakes held talks with several potential candidates, ultimately deciding that Owensboro Health was the best fit.
“We approached this process from a position of strength, which has enabled us to select the best possible partner for TLRMC,” said CEO Wayne Meriwether. “This affiliation will provide us with economies of scale and increased access to capital for continued investment in our facilities, technology, and people. Most important, we will be able to move forward with a strong partner who shares our values and our commitment to high quality rural healthcare.”
The letter of intent is the first step toward more a more formalized affiliation agreement, which officials could have in place by late summer.
According to Owensboro Health Board Chair Jeff Carpenter, Twin Lakes has a long, distinguished history of serving Grayson County and its surrounding counties: Breckinridge, Ohio, Butler, Edmonson, Hart and Hardin. Adding Twin Lakes, Carpenter said, gives Owensboro Health an opportunity to extend its footprint even further into western Kentucky while strengthening TLRMC’s ability to offer quality healthcare to the Grayson County area.
“With our progress at OHMCH, the growth of our three healthplexes and this new affiliation, Owensboro Health is enjoying tremendous momentum and is well-positioned as a regional healthcare leader. It is an exciting time to be a part of this system, and we look forward to welcoming Twin Lakes into our family.“
“From the outset of this process we have been guided by a set of objectives that included preserving our culture of community-based care and enhancing the long-term financial viability of our hospital and physician services,” said Twin Lakes Board Chair Trevor Ray, PharmD. “More than any other prospective partner we met with, Owensboro Health demonstrated a commitment to our people, our strategic objectives and our vision for the future.”
Contact: Brian Hamby, Director of Marketing for Owensboro Health, (O) 270-685-7749, (C) 270-316-4274, Brian.Hamby@OwensboroHealth.org.
Contact: Jamie Bittel, Director of Planning and Marketing for Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center, (O) 270-259-9588, (C) 270-535-1992, bittelj@tlrmc.com
Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center is a 75-bed acute-care hospital in Grayson County, Kentucky. Located between Rough River Lake and Nolin River Lake, TLRMC serves more than 115,000 people living in six counties. TLRMC operates on-and-off campus clinic locations and employs 28 providers through its related entity the Twin Lakes Medical Foundation, Inc. TLRMC is rated a 4-Star Quality Rated Hospital (2019) by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In 2019, the Wound Care Center was named a Center of Distinction and received the Clinical Excellence Award. Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for Hospital Accreditation by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards. Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center is an equal opportunity provider and employer. For more information on Twin Lakes Regional Medical Center, go to www.tlrmc.com, or call (270) 259-9588.
About Owensboro Health
Owensboro Health is a nonprofit health system with a mission to heal the sick and to improve the health of the communities it serves in Kentucky and Indiana. The system includes Owensboro Health Regional Hospital, nationally recognized for design, architecture and engineering; Owensboro Health Muhlenberg Community Hospital; Owensboro Health Twin Lakes Medical Center; the Owensboro Health Medical Group comprised of over 350 providers at more than 30 locations; three outpatient Healthplex facilities, a certified medical fitness facility, the Healthpark; a weight management program, and the Mitchell Memorial Cancer Center.
On average each year, we have more than 19,000 inpatient admissions, deliver 2,000 babies and provide the region’s only Level III NICU. Owensboro Health physicians perform nearly 33,000 surgical procedures, including nearly 150 open-heart surgeries. Our physicians and staff have 90,000 Emergency Department visits and more than 1.25 million outpatient visits annually. Visit our home page for more information.