Denver, Colo., Aug 20, 2009 / 21:30 pm
Concluding years of controversy over whether a Catholic health care group should take control of Denver-area non-Catholic hospitals, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System (SCLHS) and the Community First Foundation (CFF) have signed a Memorandum of Transfer that gives CFF’s control of health care company Exempla, Inc. to the Sisters of Charity.
SCLHS will become the sole member of Exempla, taking over both Exempla Lutheran hospital in the Denver suburb of Wheat Ridge and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Lafayette, Colo. SCLHS already runs St. Joseph Hospital in Denver.
The Wednesday announcement said the transfer aimed to meet three goals originally requested by Exempla: to simplify Exempla’s governance and structure, increase access to capital, and to keep Exempla together as a viable health care system.
Single ownership of all three hospitals will allow additional leverage to borrow for expansion projects, the Denver Post reports. Possible projects include a new wing at Lutheran, modernization of St. Joseph’s, and investment in a children’s medical campus.