SALINAS, CA – July 26, 2012 

As Natividad Medical Center’s CEO, I wish to express my disappointment that a significant opportunity has been lost for our local community. The Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System (SVMHS) Board of Directors has reached a decision to not affiliate with Natividad Medical Center at this time. We know that this was not an easy decision in light of future changes in health care affecting us all. While we highly value and respect the significant contributions that SVMHS has made in improving health care in our community for over sixty years, we believe that a merger between Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital and Natividad Medical Center would have built on the strengths, expertise, and experience of both hospitals. Such an affiliation would have assisted in the development of a seamless inpatient and outpatient healthcare system for our community. Our proposal showed how we, as a new affiliated organization, could better respond to the changing needs of our community and ensure sustainability of health care services for the future. The affiliation would have allowed our community to rally around a new “model” public healthcare system which would have the capability of enhancing the overall health of everyone on the Central Coast.

We believe by combining our healthcare efforts, we could have reduced or eliminated duplication of services in the community and been able to provide services that are cost effective in the evolving health care market. By not joining together we believe our community will be forced back into a competitive healthcare environment which in the long run could negatively impact both hospitals. Our goal is and will be to continually improve the health status of the people of Monterey County through access to affordable, high-quality health care services.

Harry Weis, CEO
Natividad Medical Center

PR CONTACT: Marci Bracco
Telephone: (831) 747-7455/Email: marcibracco@yahoo.com

Media interviews available the week of July 30th. Please email marcibracco@yahoo.com to schedule interviews.