(LG Health) and Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) have agreed to jointly operate a 126-bed behavioral-health hospital planned in Lancaster City, to address the growing demand for inpatient and outpatient mental-health services.
LG Health announced plans in April for a one-story facility that would provide a wide range of behavioral-health services, including Lancaster County’s only unit for adolescents, a unit for medically complex patients and a dedicated women’s trauma unit, for sexual-assault victims, or women with a history of traumatic injuries because of domestic violence.
Headquartered in King of Prussia, Pa., UHS operates more than 240 acute-care hospitals, behavioral-health facilities and ambulatory centers in the U.S. and abroad. Eight of those facilities are located in Pennsylvania.
In 2014, 46 UHS acute-care and behavioral-health facilities were rated as Top Performers on Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies healthcare organizations and programs.
UHS has a deep commitment to the communities where its patients live and work and is active in raising awareness of critical healthcare issues. Fortune magazine consistently lists UHS among its “World's Most Admired Companies.” Among its peer group it is ranked #1 with regard to social responsibility as well as in long-term investment. Over the past three years, the company has invested more than $1 billion in its facilities.
The partnership between LG Health and UHS gives equal governance to the partners through a six-person Board of Managers. LG Health will lease the land to the partnership, and UHS will manage the day-to-day-operations of the hospital.
“The significant demand for behavioral-health services in our community is outpacing the ability of current providers to meet that demand,” said Jan Bergen, president & CEO of Lancaster General Health. “Since identifying and planning our response to this pressing community health issue, we sought a partner with the resources and familiarity to operate a complex facility like this, consistent with our high standards.
“Our choice, Universal Health Services, is a nationally recognized organization with the depth and breadth of experience to enhance our community’s access to cost-effective, high-quality behavioral-health care.”
The proposed hospital will support LG Health’s charitable purposes and mission, including providing services to the poor and indigent, without regard to ability to pay. The partnership will also fulfill LG Health’s charitable obligations, regardless of the behavioral-health hospital’s financial performance.
“Our partnership will provide the highest quality care and much needed mental-health accessibility to the residents of Lancaster County and its surrounding communities,” said Alan B. Miller, chairman and chief executive officer of UHS. “We are proud to partner with Lancaster General Health and Penn Medicine, premier healthcare organizations that have been recognized regionally and nationally for clinical excellence.”
“For nearly 40 years, UHS has demonstrated our commitment to the patients and communities that we serve. We look forward to bringing our significant experience and clinical expertise to Lancaster.”
The hospital is proposed for the Northwest Gateway, a former 75-acre, multi-purpose industrial site in the northwest quadrant of Lancaster City. Other services slated to be provided are a Partial Hospitalization Program, providing day-treatment services for adolescent, dual-diagnosis, older-adult, and substance-abuse patients, and an Intensive Outpatient Program for adolescent, general, dual-diagnosis, older-adult, and substance-abuse patients.
About Lancaster General Health
Lancaster General Health/Penn Medicine (LG Health/Penn Medicine), a member of the University of Pennsylvania Health System (Penn Medicine), is a 631-licensed bed not-for-profit health system with a comprehensive network of care encompassing Lancaster General Hospital (LGH), Women & Babies Hospital and the Lancaster Rehabilitation Hospital (in partnership with Kindred Healthcare). Its membership in Penn Medicine brings together the strengths of a world-renowned, not-for-profit academic medical center and a nationally recognized, not-for-profit community healthcare system.
Outpatient services are provided at Downtown and Suburban pavilions, along with additional outpatient centers and Express and Urgent Care locations throughout the region. Lancaster General Health Physicians is a network of more than 300 primary-care and specialty physicians, at more than 40 offices throughout the region.
Designated four times as a Magnet hospital for nursing excellence, LGH has been recognized regionally and nationally for clinical excellence and patient safety; and ranked nationally by U.S. News & World Report as one of the nation’s best hospitals in 2016-17 in two specialties.
About Universal Health Services
Universal Health Services (NYSE: UHS) is one of the largest and most respected hospital management companies in the nation. For nearly 40 years, UHS and its affiliates have focused on meeting patients’ healthcare needs across hundreds of local communities.
Today, UHS subsidiaries own and/or operate more than 240 acute care hospitals and behavioral health facilities in 37 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands and the U.K. In 2015, UHS facilities provided care to more than 2.5 million patients.
UHS constantly strives to put patients first while adhering to the highest clinical performance standards. Over the past four years, 83 UHS facilities have been designated Top Performer in Key Quality Measures by The Joint Commission. In the Behavioral Health Division, over half of UHS’s eligible facilities received this distinguished recognition for the quality of our services.