JHM, All Children's Hospital sign letter of intent to integrate

Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM) and All Children's Hospital & Health System (ACH) of St. Petersburg, Fla., have signed a letter of intent to integrate. After appropriate due diligence is completed sometime later this year, ACH will join the Johns Hopkins Health System (JHHS) as a fully integrated member of JHM.

JHHS and its affiliates, including The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center Inc., Suburban Hospital and Howard County General Hospital Inc., along with the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, make up Johns Hopkins Medicine.

Under terms of the integration, ACH will retain its name and its longstanding commitment to the children of Florida and its community. Donations made to the hospital's foundation will remain for the benefit of ACH, and leadership and day-to-day operation of the 259-bed freestanding pediatric hospital and outreach facilities in eight west Florida counties are not expected to change as a result of the integration. Board governance structure guarantees that local community leaders will continue to provide guidance and oversight of ACH as majority members of the hospital's board of trustees. This is a non-cash transaction — no purchase or sale — but rather an opportunity for All Children's to join a system with a 120-year history of educating physicians and pioneering breakthroughs to benefit future generations globally.

As nonprofit institutions with long histories of patient care, teaching and research benefiting their communities and beyond, ACH and JHM share similar missions.

"The integration of All Children's into Johns Hopkins Medicine creates a synergy that allows both partners to continue our mission-centric work in children's health care," says Gary Carnes, president and CEO of All Children's Health System. "We believe it increases All Children's value as a key community asset, extending benefits near and beyond to the families of children in need of topnotch clinical care by adding the benefits that the world-class teaching and research opportunities of Johns Hopkins Medicine will bring."

"Families of the children we serve need to know that All Children's will continue delivering the expert and tender loving care that this region has come to count on," says Claudia Sokolowski, All Children's Health System board chair. "Through my decades of involvement on All Children's boards, I've served with many fellow business people, conscientiously weighing the value of new initiatives. The guiding principle has always been, is it in the best interest of the children? That's what led us to grow in clinical expertise, to expand our reach throughout the region, and to build a new, more efficient facility to carry our mission well into the future. Integration with Johns Hopkins will position us to jointly shape the future of children's health care in partnership with an unparalleled leader in medical research and teaching. The potential economic impact for St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay area and the state of Florida is significant and lasting. But the positive impact for children and their families will extend well beyond our geographic reach for generations to come."

While details of the proposed transaction are yet to be finalized, the basic outline of the plan calls for ACH to retain its voluntary medical staff and physician organizations, including those University of South Florida physicians practicing at ACH. Additionally, the plan calls for ACH to operate under the direction of the JHHS governance structure in the same manner as The Johns Hopkins Hospital and other hospital members of JHHS.

"All Children's is a very appealing organization because of its robust, high-quality clinical programs, its strong regional presence and very high-quality leadership team," says Edward D. Miller, M.D., dean and CEO of Johns Hopkins Medicine. "The full integration of All Children's into Johns Hopkins Medicine offers a unique opportunity to both institutions. With this integration - and as part of its historic mission - Johns Hopkins Medicine can leverage the intellectual and human capital within its pediatrics programs to expand the reach and impact of its current clinical, teaching and research programs."

Ronald R. Peterson, president of The Johns Hopkins Hospital and Health System and executive vice president of JHM, notes that Johns Hopkins is the birthplace of modern pediatrics and embraces this chance to grow. "Integrating with such an outstanding pediatrics medical center as All Children's Hospital, which is also such a strong community and regional asset, is very attractive. Johns Hopkins' commitment to its own community has never wavered in more than a century, and we know that All Children's shares a similar commitment to its own community. This is the shared commitment and vision we will build upon with this new integration."