![Lake Health merging with UH will lead to lower costs for Lake Health鈥檚 patients, UH officials said. [Lake Health]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9a13542/2147483647/strip/true/crop/512x512+0+0/resize/840x840!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F12%2F17%2Flake%20health.jpg)
Lake Health, one of the last independent hospital systems in the Cleveland area, will soon become part of the University Hospitals health system, officials announced on Thursday.
The Lake Health Board of Trustees and University Hospitals Board of Directors approved the agreement Wednesday, although the transaction still needs regulatory approval.
Lake Health operates 11 medical centers in Lake County as well as Beachwood and Chardon, which will now become part of UH.
鈥淲e look forward to enhancing services and programs for residents in and around Lake County, improving access to specialized care, and to extending Lake Health鈥檚 long-standing tradition of providing patient-focused health care close to home,鈥� said Thomas F. Zenty III, University Hospitals chief executive officer, in a statement.
鈥淭he benefits gained through becoming part of UH will lead to greater value and lower costs of care for Lake Health鈥檚 patients," he said.
Lake Health will now become part of the University Hospitals system and all employees will become UH employees. [University Hospitals]
Lake Health and UH already had partnerships, including the Lake Health/University Hospitals Seidman Cancer Center in Mentor, officials announced in a news release.
Earlier this year, Lake Health began the process of seeking a partnership with a 鈥渓ike-minded organization that shared its culture and vision in caring for Lake County and the surrounding communities,鈥� the hospital system announced in a statement.
鈥淥ur goal has been, and continues to be, to provide access to the highest quality care for the people of Lake County and surrounding communities, right here at home,鈥� Cynthia Moore-Hardy, president and CEO of Lake Health, said in a statement.
鈥淛oining UH will enable us to enhance existing health care services close to home and continue to improve health outcomes for the community," she said.
Once the partnership is approved, Lake Health employees will become University Hospitals employees. UH officials say they will provide equivalent or better benefits for those employees.
More than 600 physicians and 3,000 health care professionals work at Lake Health's 11 facilities.
