SOUTH BEND, Ind.—The boards of 325-bed Memorial Hospital of South Bend and 297-bed Elkhart (Ind.) General Health System approved a merger of the two hospitals located near the University of Notre Dame.

Officials from the two hospitals will likely convene in December for a special joint meeting to discuss leadership reorganization as the deal would create a new healthcare organization, a Memorial spokeswoman said. Merger discussions first began in March. “As the nation continues to struggle with the best way to respond to weak economies and greater than ever demands for medical care, our region is now well-positioned for reliable, community-driven and innovative responses,” a news release stated. Memorial's board voted in favor of the deal Nov. 23, a day after Elkhart's board voted to move forward.

MINNEAPOLIS—Hennepin Faculty Associates, a private 1,000-employee physicians group, will combine with Hennepin Healthcare System, which is owned by the surrounding county. The deal will take effect Jan. 1. The physicians group entered into a contract in 1984 to provide the majority of services at 471-bed Hennepin County Medical Center. The existing relationship also included doctors being directly employed before 1984 by Hennepin County to provide services at the hospital. Officials said the deal would not alter caregiver relationships. Terms of the deal include the transfer of HFA's downtown Minneapolis campus used for administration and clinics and several HFA-owned clinics. A direct payment wasn't made as HFA is a not-for-profit organization. The physicians group also lacks outstanding debt. “With integration we are able to preserve the quality of medical care and teaching while changing the operational structure to ensure that the provision of patient-centered care and teaching tomorrow's healthcare professionals remains our primary focus,” Dr. Donald Jacobs, HFA chairman and CEO, said in a news release.

CHICAGO—Executives with Northwestern Memorial HealthCare in downtown Chicago and Roseland Community Hospital on the city's far South Side held preliminary talks about a partnership between the institutions, Modern Healthcare sister publication Crain's Chicago Business reported. Northwestern Memorial Chief Operating Officer Dennis Murphy and other executives met several weeks ago with Roseland Chairman Ronald Blackstone Jr. and Roseland's former chairwoman and incoming CEO, Dian Powell, Blackstone confirmed. While a merger was not discussed, the topics included a possible role for Northwestern in the development of a new medical district in the area around Roseland Community and whether the giant teaching hospital could send medical residents to treat patients at Roseland, said Blackstone, who also is president of RJB Properties, an Orland Park, Ill.-based facilities management and janitorial company. Both sides agreed to meet again early next year, he said.