Ascension Health gains Calif. presence with Daughters of Charity agreement

Six-hospital Daughters of Charity Health System, Los Altos Hills, Calif., has formally agreed to become part of Ascension Health, St. Louis. The deal gives Ascension a presence in the Golden State as not-for-profit systems continue to look for ways to grow throughout the country.

Terms of the affiliation agreement between the two Catholic groups weren't disclosed. DCHS and Ascension Health Alliance—the parent of Ascension Health—announced in March that they had signed a memorandum of understanding putting DCHS on the road to joining Ascension.

"An affiliation agreement provides the necessary structure for DCHS to form collaborative relationships to create more efficient person-centered care for the people in our California communities," DCHS President and CEO Robert Issai said in the release. All six DCHS hospitals lie along California's coast. With the addition of DCHS, Ascension Health has 83 hospitals.

Earlier this year, Catholic Health West, San Francisco, changed its name to Dignity Health and announced plans to expand east. Trinity Health, Livonia, Mich., and Catholic Health East, Newtown Square, Pa., also have announced plans to merge and create the second-largest not-for-profit system in the country. The latter two Roman Catholic organizations lack any overlap in markets.