Just a few hours after Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray put his stamp of approval on Ardent's bid for Forum Health, Community Health Systems submitted its own bid.
According to a press release from Forum Health, the bid was received Monday afternoon. Not much is known about the bid, including how much was offered or what it plans to do with Forum.
Ardent's bid was $69.8 million, and it has said it plans to invest an additional $50 million to $70 million. Ardent also plans to keep all three of Forum's current facilities open.
CHS's bid would require approval of the bankruptcy court and Cordray. Should CHS be the company selected, more time would be needed to complete the sale. An auction is set for Thursday.
Representatives from AFSCME, the SEIU and the Ohio Nurses Association all came together for a special press conference after Cordray's announcement Monday. Union representatives said they were pleased about his announcement and that Ardent had been up front from the very beginning.
"They're very professional," said Deborha Bindas, of AFSCME Ohio Council 8. "They came in, they gave the reasons why they wanted to buy us, what they were going to do with us, and they've also secured agreements with the other three labor organizations, which should give and does give our members some job securities."
That's not been the case with CHS, they said. They said CHS had no business plan and no answers to labor questions.
"It (has been) apparent to us they are unwilling...or unequipped...to engage in any competent discussion with us," said Cathleen Slater, an official with the Ohio Nurses Association.
Union officials also said CHS has left a "trail of broken promises" behind after purchasing other health systems in other communities.
CHS purchased one system in 2008, said officials, and by 2009, the system had disassembled several offerings including level two trauma services and a movement disorder clinic.
And Tom Connelly, of the ASFCME union, said the system has "done little to dispel" concerns with its reputation.
Even some Forum Health employees are anxious about Forum Health possibly being sold to CHS.
"We think the last minute by CHS to come in and try to do some of these things that they're trying to do, it just didn't bode well with us," said James Brown, who works at Northside Hospital. "To quote a friend of mine, 'it doesn't pass the smell test'."
Forum's release said the company was pleased with Cordray's approval of Ardent as a potential purchaser but emphasized the sale process is not yet complete and that they will continue to accept additional bids. Forum officials in the release also responded to the comments of union officials.
"We are surprised that representatives of organized labor have chosen to comment on a potential purchase by Community Health Systems without having seen the specifics of its bid," said the release.
Under the bankruptcy judge's order, Forum will review all bids received before a 5 p.m. deadline Tuesday. If the bids are determined to be qualified, said the release, an auction will be held Thursday.
"If we select a party other than Ardent as the highest and best bid, we will submit that party to the attorney general for review," said Forum's release.
