Together we will drive change to address Ohio’s most critical health needs and transform the health of our state.
We’re excited to announce our partnership with the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center for the launch of the Healthy State Alliance, a bold new ambition to combat some of Ohio’s most pressing health issues and needs.
We are two organizations with complementary missions, goals, capabilities and talents and we know we can accomplish more when we work together.
The Healthy State Alliance is designed to leverage our respective strengths, significantly expand access to life-changing care, and improve the health of all of those across the great state of Ohio.
“This is a phenomenal opportunity to combine our expansive footprint with one of the nation’s preeminent academic medical centers to ensure our patients get access to the best available care closer to home,” said John M. Starcher, Jr., President and CEO, Bon Secours Mercy Health. “Together, we can work in new and creative ways that haven’t been done before. We will be nimble, share our best thinking and collaborate among our care providers much faster than we could by working alone.”
While Mercy Health and the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have identified 10 objectives to address with the Healthy State Alliance, our early efforts will be focused on three major health issues facing the state of Ohio:
- The Opioid Epidemic – Ohio has one of the highest rates of opioid-related deaths in the nation, with more than 4,000 Ohioans dying of unintentional overdose in 2016.
- Increasing Access to Cancer Care – Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, and Ohio is among the nation’s leaders in both cancer rates and cancer-related deaths. More than 25,000 Ohioans died from cancer in 2016.
- Increasing Access to Transplant Care – Every other day, one Ohioan dies waiting for a life-saving transplant, and more than 3,000 Ohioans are waiting for a life‐saving transplant at any given time.
“With this new partnership, we are determined to create healthier communities throughout the state of Ohio and across the region. Through the Healthy State Alliance, we are uniquely positioned for success based on our shared vision of convenient access to differentiated clinical care across the state, a relentless focus on quality, our combined size and scale, a focus on decreasing costs and our similar values and culture,” said David McQuaid, Chief Executive Officer, the Ohio State University Health System and Chief Operating Officer, the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
By combining our resources, we will provide Ohioans with increased access to more than 50,000 team members and more than 600 points of care throughout the state. Additionally, we will offer enhanced access to one of the nation’s premier transplant centers that has already saved more than 9,600 lives, one of only 49 National Cancer Institute designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the country and one of America’s leading research universities. This ongoing partnership will be leveraged to address the most critical health needs in Ohio and beyond.
With a shared vision for a better health care future and a focused mission to treat every person we serve with dignity, respect and excellence, we are teaming up to drive real change for our residents.
To learn more about our new Healthy State Alliance, visit healthystateforall.org.
