Citizens: No to YRMC partnership
The message from the audience in attendance at the Hospital District No. 1 of Yuma County board meeting on Wednesday was a resounding, “No, we don’t want a partnership between Yuma Regional Medical Center and LifePoint Health.”
About 250 people attended the meeting, the largest turnout ever, by most accounts, for a Hospital District meeting. The venue for the meeting was changed from the usual Aldrich Hall to the Civic Center to accommodate the audience.
Representatives from Tennessee-based LifePoint, which is considering a partnership with YRMC, introduced the company to the community with a presentation before the district board members. The district, a government agency with elected board members, owns the land and facilities of the main hospital at Avenue A and 24th Street and has leased them to YRMC since 1973.
The YRMC Board of Directors, a different entity, has been exploring a joint venture with LifePoint, which operates 84 hospitals in 29 states, including three in Arizona. In the proposed partnership, LifePoint would buy a majority percentage of the hospital while YRMC would maintain a minority percentage. However, the governance of the board would be 50% each.
LifePoint has committed to a $300 million investment over a span of 10 years. The transaction would also include the formation of a foundation with another $300 million dedicated to the community.
In addition, with the transaction, YRMC, currently a not-forprofit hospital, would become a for-profit organization.
Chairman Jeffrey Polston, in an opening statement, explained that the district board, in “performing its duty to the public to protect the community’s interests,” has been “jointly working with YRMC and LifePoint Health to learn more about how the proposed partnership may advance healthcare services in the Yuma community.”
However, Polston emphasized that the district has not completed its investigation and due diligence review of the proposed partnership and has only begun discussions regarding a joint venture impact on the community and potential lease terms.