Mercy Health, Ohio State’s Wexner Medical Center launch new alliance

The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Mercy Health announced today they have launched a new ambition aimed at addressing the opioid crisis and increasing access to cancer and transplant care, among other things.

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In announcing the Healthy State Alliance, officials said:

  • Ohio is among the top five worst states in the nation with the highest rate of opioid-related deaths; more than 4,000 Ohioans died of unintentional overdose in 2016.
  • Cancer is the second leading cause of death in Ohio and the United States. Ohio is among the nation's leaders in both cancer rates and cancer-related deaths — with more than 25,000 Ohioans dying from cancer in 2016.
  • One Ohioan dies every other day waiting for a life-saving transplant, and more than 3,000 Ohioans are waiting for a life‐saving transplant at any given time.

Headquartered in Cincinnati, Mercy Health is part of Bon Secours Mercy Health and serves eight regions across Ohio and Kentucky.

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“This is a phenomenal opportunity to combine our expansive footprint with one of the nation’s preeminent academic medical centers to ensure our patients get access to the best available care closer to home,” said John Starcher Jr., president and CEO of Bon Secours Mercy Health. “Together, we can work in new and creative ways that haven’t been done before. We will be nimble, share our best thinking and collaborate among our care providers much faster than we could by working alone.”

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“We are determined to create healthier communities throughout the state of Ohio and across the region,” said David McQuaid, CEO for The Ohio State University Health System and chief operating officer for The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. “Through the Healthy State Alliance, we are uniquely positioned for success based on our shared vision of convenient access to differentiated clinical care across the state, a relentless focus on quality, our combined size and scale, a focus on decreasing costs and our similar values and culture.”

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