Huron, Saginaw, Sanilac & Tuscola Counties, MI – January 14, 2025
Leadership teams from Aspire Rural Health System and Covenant HealthCare have recently signed a new affiliation agreement between the two independent systems that strengthens their collaborative partnership to enhance care in the Thumb.
For decades, Covenant HealthCare has worked to build collaborative relationships with the rural hospitals in the Thumb. In 2018, Covenant and five Thumb hospitals came together and formed the Covenant Regional Thumb Network (CRTN). These hospitals include Covenant, Harbor Beach Community, Scheurer Health and the three hospitals that recently joined to form the Aspire Rural Health Network, Deckerville Community Hospital, Hills & Dales Healthcare and Marlette Regional Hospital. The CRTN partnership continues to explore collaborative ways to enhance care for patients in the Thumb. Together, the CRTN hospitals recently established the Thumb’s only comprehensive cancer care facility, the Covenant Cancer Care Center at Aspire Marlette, on Aspire’s Marlette campus.
This new agreement builds on the CRTN partnership and specifically connects Aspire and Covenant to put mutual strategies in place and invest in bringing affordable specialty care and services closer to home for Thumb residents. Aspire Co-CEO, Andy Daniels affirmed, “Through our enhanced partnership, we are opening new doors to specialized care and innovative programs right here in the Thumb. By working together, we are not just improving health services; we are investing in the future of our communities, ensuring our residents have access to the highest quality care without the need to travel far from home. Our partnership in cardiology services, now five days a week at two of our three campuses, is the first example of this vision coming together.”
As their communities’ primary source for care, the Aspire hospital care teams have been dedicated to enhancing the care available locally. Bringing these kinds of services closer to home for patients makes a tremendous impact on the lives of people. “As caregivers at Aspire, our team is committed to bringing the best possible care to our local communities, noted Angie McConnachie, Co-CEO of Aspire Rural Health System. “This new affiliation marks a significant step forward, allowing us to provide even more advanced services and ensure that patients don’t have to travel far to receive the care they need. We know how important it is for families to have access to high-quality healthcare close to home, and we are proud to be part of this collaboration that will make a lasting impact on the lives of those in the Thumb.”
When patients in the Thumb require more advanced care, Covenant has a history of being the provider of choice. But through this deeper affiliation, Covenant’s leadership hopes to help Aspire make advanced care more available for patients in the Thumb. “Covenant has long recognized how important the Aspire hospitals are to their communities,” stated Covenant President and CEO, Beth Charlton. “We are honored to have had such a long-standing relationship with the care teams at these hospitals and with this new agreement we are excited to work even more closely together. We know that health care is challenged with scarce resources, and this is especially true in rural regions. Through this partnership our focus will be on carefully placing providers and facilities to best utilize these resources and bring care closer to home for people in the Thumb.
The three-year renewable agreement also includes language, should the Board and leadership of Aspire determine that they wish to become part of a larger system in the future, that they would first come to Covenant.
About Aspire Rural Health System
Aspire Rural Health System is a trusted leader in rural healthcare, dedicated to delivering exceptional care across Michigan’s Thumb region. With a mission to enhance the health and well-being of the communities we serve, Aspire provides a wide range of high-quality medical services tailored to the unique needs of rural areas. Our network of facilities and providers ensures accessible, innovative, and compassionate care close to home, making Aspire the healthcare provider of choice for patients and employees alike. By combining state-of-the-art technology with a patient-centered approach, Aspire is shaping the future of rural healthcare and strengthening the Thumb communities we call home.
About Covenant HealthCare
From moms-to-be to babies to great-grandfathers, Covenant HealthCare is the one health system in the Great Lakes Bay Region that delivers extraordinary care across generations and across specialties. As the largest, most comprehensive health care provider in the region, Covenant provides for the health needs of the entire family. With a broad spectrum of programs and services ranging from high-risk obstetrics, neonatal and pediatric intensive care, to acute care including a Level II Adult and Pediatric Trauma Center, cardiology, oncology, orthopaedics, robotic surgery and many other services, Covenant cares for patients from 60+ counties in Michigan.