Atrium Health announces plans to merge with Advocate Aurora

MACON, Ga. — Atrium Health Wednesday announced plans to merge with Advocate Aurora Health, a Midwest healthcare chain that operates in Illinois and Wisconsin.

Here in Central Georgia, we know Atrium Health pretty well, so we’re introducing you to Advocate Aurora Health.

The company is one of the largest non-profit integrated health systems in the United States, and it serves almost 3,000,000 patients each year. The company operates 27 hospitals and 500 other care sites, too.

U.S. News and World Report named it one of the best hospital systems for 2021 and 2022, and it earned the LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Leader title in 2020. That means they earned a top score of 100% from the Human Rights Campaign for LGBTQ care.

In a joint news release Wednesday, Advocate Aurora’s board chair, Michele Richardson, said they’ve long admired Atrium’s commitment to clinical excellence and health equity.

Together, Advocate Health would serve 5.5 million patients, operate 67 hospitals and over 1,000 care sites across the south and Midwest.

In the process, they’d add 20,000 jobs across all their locations. Both companies also pledge $2 billion to help underserved and rural communities.

The companies said in their news release that they have a unique position to lead healthcare transformation and innovation. They said together, they can do more, be better and go faster.

The boards from both companies approved the deal unanimously, but it’s not a closed deal yet. It still requires final approval from federal regulators.

We asked Atrium Health Navicent how the merger would impact local operations. They directed us to Atrium Health’s national office. They declined to comment beyond what was reported in the press release.