Meadows Healthcare Alliance, Inc. announced that it has signed an exclusive letter of intent with HCA Healthcare to discuss future operations for Meadows Regional Medical Center (Meadows) and its affiliated physician practices and outpatient programs. This LOI will enable the Meadows team and HCA Healthcare’s South Atlantic Division leadership to work closely together to evaluate the opportunity for alignment.

“The Meadows Health Board is comprised of community members who are passionate about ensuring that our health system remains stable, strong and growing despite the increasingly challenging dynamics in healthcare,” said Meadows Health Board Chair Mike Calhoun.

“HCA Healthcare was founded by two physicians more than 50 years ago who believed that patient experience and clinical excellence should be the cornerstones of community-based hospitals. That belief is also fundamental to our work at Meadows and those common core values are just part of what makes this potential alignment with HCA Healthcare a great opportunity to advance the care we are providing,” said Meadows Health Board Chair Dr. Reid McArthur.

HCA Healthcare is one of the nation’s leading providers of care and is comprised of 184 hospitals and approximately 2,000 sites of care, including hospitals, surgery centers, freestanding ERs, urgent care centers and physician clinics in 21 states and the United Kingdom. “At HCA Healthcare, we believe that it is a privilege to care for our friends and neighbors. We know the critical role that Meadows plays in Vidalia and the surrounding communities,” said HCA South Atlantic Division President Hugh Tappan. “Our goal is to ensure that in each of our communities, our physicians, our colleagues and our hospitals have the support and resources they need to improve the lives of those we serve. The Meadows team has done an extraordinary job of that, and we are delighted to explore this opportunity with them to continue that legacy.”

 With the signing of this letter of intent, the Meadows and HCA South Atlantic teams will begin a period of due diligence and the negotiation of a definite agreement. When a definitive agreement is reached, there will be a public filing with the Georgia Attorney General and a public hearing in Vidalia.

“Culturally, HCA Healthcare is aligned with our Meadows values and operationally they have demonstrated an ability to help hospitals like ours to thrive and grow to meet the needs of the community,” said Meadows President & CEO Alan Kent. “Our Meadows team, medical staff and board are dedicated to making the best choice for our community. We believe that HCA Healthcare uniquely provides the experience, scale and resources that will support Meadows to continue to enhance and expand our services across the region.”