Health Quest and WCHN Combine to Form New Health System to be called Nuvance Health

The single, unified health system ensures the communities it serves have access to the latest treatments, technology, services and top-notch care teams

Health Quest and Western Connecticut Health Network (WCHN) have combined to form a new nonprofit health system. The name for the new health system will be Nuvance Health (pronounced NEW-vance). The new health system was created to provide communities across New York’s Hudson Valley and western Connecticut with more convenient, accessible and affordable care.

What is Nuvance Health?

Thirteen months after formally agreeing to create a new health system, Health Quest and WCHN have begun to operate as one organization after receiving the required federal and state (New York and Connecticut) regulatory approvals and support from patients, donors, and business and community leaders.

Dr. John M. Murphy is the CEO of the new health system, and Robert Friedberg is its President. Previously, Murphy served as President and CEO of WCHN and Friedberg was President and CEO of Health Quest. The new organization’s board of directors includes diverse and equitable volunteer community representation: eight members were nominated by Health Quest and eight were nominated by WCHN.

The new health system will serve 1.5 million residents. It includes seven hospitals, more than 2,600 physicians and 12,000 employees. Projected annual revenues of the system are $2.4 billion.

Why was this new system formed?

The single, unified health system ensures the communities served have access to the latest treatments, technology, services and top-notch physicians and care teams.

“Our patients and communities are the heart of efforts to form the new health system. We are steadfastly focused on how we can improve the health and well-being of the people we passionately serve,” Murphy said. “Through the new integrated health system, we will be able to attract top clinical talent in order to provide even more advanced, compassionate and collaborative care.”

The benefits of combining and creating the new health system include greater breadth of services, such as more specialty physicians and population health programs. Additional expected benefits include the use of data analytics to enhance quality and safety and improve health outcomes; and, growing medical education and learning to shape the future of medicine that best serves each community’s needs.

“By coming together, we will bring our communities more healthcare options through new programs and services, especially to help prevent disease and effectively manage chronic conditions. Our communities will also benefit from having greater access to specialists and the latest treatments, conveniently within one health system and close to home,” Friedberg said.

What is going to happen?

Nuvance Health is devoted to caring for its unique communities. That is why local, community-based leadership and separate boards of directors oversee each hospital.

The name Nuvance Health, derived from a combination of the words “new” and “advance”, will replace the legacy health network names Health Quest and WCHN. The organization will reveal a new logo and other brand marks in the coming weeks and months.

“The name Nuvance Health reflects a mission to continually make progress and pursue impossible, so we can improve the lives of every person in each of our communities,” Murphy said.

Nuvance Health will remain a nonprofit organization, committed to community health and wellness and will continue to provide care to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

For more information about Nuvance Health, visit our website.

CONTACTS
Andrea Rynn, Director, Public & Government Relations
203-739-7919 | Andrea.Rynn@wchn.org

Amy Forni, Manager, Public Relations
203-739-7478 | Amy.Forni@wchn.org

John Nelson, Director, Public and Community Affairs
O: 845-554-1736 | C: 845-240-4317 | jnelson2@health-quest.org

About Nuvance Health
Nuvance Health’s mission will be to continually make progress and pursue impossible, so we can improve the lives of every person in each of the communities we serve. Nuvance Health will serve 1.5 million residents across New York and Connecticut and includes more than 2,600 aligned physicians, 12,000 employees, seven hospitals (Danbury Hospital, New Milford Hospital, Northern Dutchess Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, Putnam Hospital Center, Sharon Hospital, and Vassar Brothers Medical Center), a large network of primary care and specialty practices, and multiple affiliated organizations.

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Submitted by Bethel, CT

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