The Porter Medical Center Board of Directors and the University of Vermont Health Network Board of Trustees voted unanimously on October 5th to sign a non-binding Letter of Intent to formally negotiate terms under which Porter Medical Center would join the University of Vermont Health Network. Stroudwater’s Affiliations Team, led by Director Jeff Sommer with support from Troy Trejo and Lindsay Corcoran, is proud to have been a part of this transaction that will ensure continued access to high-quality healthcare for the Porter Medical Center community.
Although not a binding contract, the Letter of Intent clearly sets in motion a more formal process of negotiations that are expected to last approximately six months, during which time Porter and the UVM Health Network will endeavor to agree upon the specific terms that would lead to Porter becoming an affiliate of the UVM Health Network as early as the spring of 2017. During the negotiation process, Porter will retain the option of choosing independence.
“The Porter board has been engaged in a very diligent, comprehensive and forward-looking strategic planning process for more than a year, and has evaluated both continued independence and potential affiliation with a number of other healthcare organizations in order to ensure that PMC continues to fulfill its mission to meet the healthcare needs of our local community. Based on this comprehensive analysis and feedback from more than a dozen forums with our community, employees, and providers, the board has now formally voted to move forward the next step in exploring a potential affiliation,” said PMC Board Chair Maureen McLaughlin.
“I look forward to the discussions that can bring Porter Medical Center into the UVM Health Network,” said John Brumsted, M.D., president and chief executive officer, UVM Health Network, and chief executive officer, UVM Medical Center. “The UVM Health Network and Porter share similar missions, visions and values. Porter has strong community ties and we are both focused on keeping care as close to home for patients and their families as possible. Being part of the network creates opportunities in this challenging era of health care reform for collaboration and finding ways to become more efficient and effective in delivering high-quality care.”