Sparrow Health System, Lansing, Mich., and Hayes Green Beach Memorial Hospital, Charlotte, Mich., have announced an affiliation agreement, as officials signed a memo of understanding.

In the next two to three months, both parties will identify and develop programs and services they could better collaborate on to improve quality, according to a Sparrow spokesman.

The spokesman said a more detailed affiliation agreement would be released within that time period. He stressed that the present announcement was a way to keep the community aware of any potential discussions.

“We are very pleased to take this first step toward an affiliation agreement,” Matt Rush, Hayes Green Beach president and CEO, said in a news release. “We value the relationship that already exists between the two organizations, and we expect to deepen the current programs and services we're working on together, and create new ones to further enhance the care provided for patients in our community.”

Hayes Green Beach and Sparrow have a worked on the affiliation for the past three months but already collaborate on cardiovascular services and inpatient care support at 25-bed Hayes Green Beach.

“We recognize Hayes Green Beach as a strong healthcare collaborator in our region,” Dennis Swan, president and CEO of four-hospital Sparrow, said in the release. “Working more closely with them will afford greater opportunities to enhance care systems and produce great outcomes for patients throughout the area.”