By Alicia Rohan | UAB News
As of Nov. 1, 2024, the University of Alabama at Birmingham Health System Authority has assumed ownership of Ascension St. Vincent’s Health System in central Alabama to sustain patients’ access to the highest-quality care in Birmingham and surrounding communities.
After thorough study and due diligence, UAB announced in June that the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees approved an agreement with Ascension to seek the necessary approvals and work toward satisfying closing conditions.
Under the agreement, the UAB Health System Authority has assumed ownership of all Ascension St. Vincent’s sites of care, including the hospitals at Birmingham, Blount, Chilton, East and St. Clair, as well as the One Nineteen Campus, the Trussville Freestanding Emergency Department, and imaging centers and other clinics that are part of Ascension Medical Group. The transaction includes Ascension St. Vincent’s services, facilities, caregivers and associates, including a robust network of providers serving the region.
Former St. Vincent’s sites of care and operations are now officially UAB St. Vincent’s.
“We are thrilled to welcome St. Vincent’s patients, caregivers and associates to the UAB Medicine community,” said UAB Health System CEO Dawn Bulgarella. “We are grateful and excited for how well this acquisition has been received by patients, as well as the St. Vincent’s and UAB teams. I look forward to seeing how the combining of these two great health systems enhances patients’ access to a larger network of care, creates exciting opportunities for our people and makes Alabama’s healthcare system more sustainable.”
UAB St. Vincent’s patients will continue to have access to the health care services and providers they’ve come to trust, and they will also gain access to a larger care network. The goal of the transition team made up of UAB, Ascension and St. Vincent’s team members has been to make the transition smooth for UAB St. Vincent’s patients, caregivers and associates, as well as the broader UAB Medicine team and the communities both health systems serve.
“A significant amount of work and dialogue has gone into this effort, and Ascension has been a great partner throughout, demonstrating a shared commitment to a smooth transition for everyone we serve,” Bulgarella said. “We exist to improve lives, and that purpose will continue to drive our actions.”
At a time when hospitals are closing across the nation, UAB Health System has made it a priority to strengthen Alabama hospitals, support care providers, and increase community outreach and service through innovative partnerships that improve the state’s health care ecosystem.
“Today we are celebrating the beginning of an exciting, more sustainable new era of health care in Alabama,” Bulgarella said. “We look forward to investing in our people, facilities and systems to enhance the caregiver, associate and patient experience across UAB Medicine and UAB St. Vincent’s.”
Ray Watts, M.D., who chairs the UAB Health System Authority Board in addition to serving as UAB president, says UAB Health System is uniquely positioned to deliver on that commitment to sustain patient and employee success.
“UAB Health System is recognized among the nation’s best for innovative, world-class, people-first care, as well as among the best places to work in health care,” Watts said. “As an Alabama-operated health system, we love, understand and meet the needs of our local communities, and we deeply respect Ascension St. Vincent’s caregivers’ and associates’ similar community- and mission-focused commitment.”
That commitment is shared by the University of Alabama System Board of Trustees and System Office. During the June Board meeting at which the agreement passed with unanimous support, UA System Interim Chancellor Sid J. Trant — who, along with Bulgarella, recommended the resolution for approval, said “As you all know, the University of Alabama System and the UAB Health System exist to improve the lives of Alabamians and beyond. This acquisition will go a long way to that end and will move the UA System toward fulfilling its vision of becoming the preeminent public system of higher education and health care in the United States.”
