With a plethora of lawyers, hospital executives and union leaders walking into the courthouse, attorneys for Forum Health told a bankruptcy judge the system has found a buyer.
"I think everything that transpired today was positive," said Michael Gallo, bankruptcy attorney for Forum. "Positive for the hospitals and positive for the community."
The Tennessee-based Community Health Systems' bid of $120 million was deemed both the highest and the best by federal bankruptcy Judge Kay Woods. The agreement states that CHS would maintain all three of Forum's hospitals, and retain its employees -- including those represented by the Ohio Nurses Association at Northside in Youngstown and Hillside in Howland.
Concerns over the future of those nurses prompted an objection from the union over the weekend, which was resolved in court Local president Eric Williams said the next step will be to hammer out new contracts with CHS.
"They want to have good relations and they want to get to an agreement, obviously we have that same goal," Williams said. "The question is, can we get there?"
Bargaining with those unions is expected to get underway later this week.
AFSCME Ohio Council 8 President Debbie Bindas said the union's first encounters with CHS did not leave a good impression.
"We were disenchanted with the approach," she said. "Hopefully they're gonna send in their first string so we can get some good talks done."
After the hearing, CHS the following statement:
We are prepared to make a substantial, long-term commitment to invest in the hospitals, the people who work for them, and the communities that rely on them. We are very optimistic about opportunities to strengthen and grow Forum Health over time and to further advance the health services it provides for residents of the Mahoning Valley.
While some housekeeping issues must still be resolved, lawyers say the sale should close before the end of September.
