Oldest Tri-City hospital sells for $21 million. 900 employees to stay

The Tri-Cities’ oldest hospital system will officially change hands Saturday.

The sale of Lourdes Health Network in Pasco to the Tennessee-based RCCH HealthCare Partners is effective at 12:01 a.m.

RCCH is the same company that recently bought Trios Health in Kennewick.

“I truly believe becoming a member of RCCH HealthCare Partners will make Lourdes a stronger organization, giving us new opportunities for growth,” said John Serle, Lourdes CEO, in a statement.

“This partnership will bring additional resources to our growing community and allow us to expand services and recruit specialists, so residents can get care they need right here at home,” he said.

The sale has been in the works for several years — since the hospital system’s previous owner, the nonprofit Ascension, shifted focus to larger metro areas and Lourdes began searching for a new partner.

State regulators approved the $21 million Lourdes sale in August.

They also signed off on its conversion from nonprofit to for-profit.

RCCH officials have said service cuts and layoffs aren’t planned, and they intend to invest $18 million in Lourdes over five years.

The system has about 900 employees.

The sale covers both Lourdes Medical Center and Lourdes Counseling Center.

Lourdes was founded in 1916 by nuns from the Sisters of St. Joseph. “They took up residence in the old Montana Hotel, leased from Mrs. Anna Crotty. There the sisters set up everything necessary to care for the sick,” the hospital website says.

Lourdes has remained Catholic ever since, and that won’t change with the sale.

While Trios is part of a joint venture between RCCH and UW Medicine in Seattle to own and operate community hospitals in a public-private partnership, Lourdes will be separate because of its religious affiliation.

“We are honored to be partnering with Lourdes Health Network to help ensure the continued high quality of care they’ve provided for this community,” said Marty Rash, CEO of RCCH, in a statement.

“With more than 100 years of service to the people of the region and a well-earned reputation for high quality, compassionate care, we look forward to working with and learning from Lourdes’ associates as well as sharing with them and investing in resources for growth.”

RCCH has numerous hospitals around the country, including in Oregon, Idaho and Montana.

Its Capital Medical Center in Olympia is part of the same public-private partnership as Trios.

This story was originally published August 31, 2018 at 1:41 PM.