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DOVER, Ohio: Today, Cleveland Clinic and Union Hospital officials announced that Union Hospital is now a full member of the Cleveland Clinic health system.

Union Hospital becomes the 11th regional hospital in the Cleveland Clinic health system and formally will be known as “Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital.”

“Our strong community hospital is now part of one of the world’s best healthcare systems and we look forward to securing and growing services in the future right here at Cleveland Clinic Union Hospital,” said Bruce James, president and chief executive officer of the hospital in Dover. “Our primary mission to serve the residents of this area has not changed.”

All services, programs and locations managed by Union Hospital and its hospital-operated physician network, Union Physician Services, are continuing as the hospital begins the integration process.

“We are excited to help Union Hospital provide the best care for patients of the Tuscarawas Valley in the same familiar community hospital setting,” said Edmund Sabanegh, M.D., President, Cleveland Clinic Main Campus and Regional Hospitals. “Integration of Union Hospital as part of the overall Cleveland Clinic family will be done at a thoughtful, balanced pace as we’ve done successfully with our other hospitals. We will develop our integration plans with the leaders from Union Hospital, who know their hospital and their community the best. We look forward to working together to keep ‘patients first,’ every day, everywhere.”

Patients will continue to see their same physicians and providers at their current locations, Union Hospital’s 1,100 employees will continue delivering care, and all operations and appointments for outpatient services will proceed as scheduled. James also stressed that all insurance plans accepted at the hospital, including AultCare, will continue to be accepted as usual.

“With the support and guidance of the Cleveland Clinic staff, we will begin an integration process that will examine our operating processes and procedures and look for ways to improve care and the delivery of care for our patients,” James said. “Other changes that will signal the new name, such as signage inside and outside the hospital and other locations, will be completed over time.

“It’s also very important for patients and the community to know that care will continue to be delivered here at the hospital by the same dedicated and professionally trained staff members who are here now.”

Union Hospital will continue its work to attract new physicians and providers to the community, especially for primary care services, said James, adding that they are looking forward to having the support of the Cleveland Clinic health system in those efforts.

Sabanegh said that hospital officials will continue to provide updates to the community served by Union Hospital as the integration moves forward.

Officials from the two hospital systems announced last May that they had signed a letter of intent for Union Hospital to become part of the Cleveland Clinic system. The work to finalize the agreement and the required state and federal regulatory reviews were recently completed.

Union Hospital is now located at the southern end of the system’s service network. Cleveland Clinic operates 10 other regional hospitals in Cuyahoga, Lorain, Medina and Summit counties.

Union Hospital previously had a patient treatment relationship in place with Cleveland Clinic through the Clinic’s Telestroke Network, a tele-medicine connection for treatment of stroke patients at the Union Hospital Lauren Emergency Center and Cleveland Clinic’s Cerebrovascular Center.

The independent Union Hospital announced in 2016 that due to operating costs growing at faster rates than revenues, it would seek a partner to ensure operations and services would continue at current levels and be positioned for future growth. The hospital eliminated 20 jobs earlier that year as part of a $3-million cost-cutting effort and was concerned that additional cutbacks would lead to reductions in services and more lost jobs, even though the hospital offers one of the best healthcare values in Ohio.