BEAVER, Pa. — The landscape of health care in the Tri-State Area experienced another change Thursday, when officials from Heritage Valley Health System, the Heritage Valley Health System Foundation, Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network signed an affiliation agreement that will strengthen and expand the services that HVHS provides to residents in western Allegheny County, greater Beaver County and the surrounding region.

Pending government approval of the transaction, the affiliation will establish Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley as AHN’s 15th and 16th hospitals and fully integrate Heritage’s outpatient clinics and physician practices within the AHN family.

The announcement came one day after Steubenville-based Trinity Health System and UPMC signed a non-binding letter of intent to negotiate an agreement that would result in the integration of Trinity into the UPMC system.

“Today, Heritage Valley takes a significant step forward in securing its future and strengthening its commitment to the communities we serve,” said Norman Mitry, HVHS president and CEO. “After a long and thorough deliberation, we are excited to announce our decision to affiliate with Highmark Health and AHN — an organization that shares our commitment to community health, our patient-first values and our vision for advancing a sustainable model of providing accessible, high-quality and affordable care for everyone. Today is a milestone in our organization’s history, and a turning point that will greatly benefit the people we serve in this region and the hundreds of exceptional caregivers at Heritage Valley who work so heroically every day to deliver great care and comfort to those in need.”

Highmark has thousands of insured members who receive care at HVHS each year. The affiliation between AHN with HVHS ensures those members and others who live in the region continue to have a high-quality, close-to-home resource for their health and wellness needs over the long term.

As part of the affiliation, AHN, and HVHS will make significant investments during the next 10 years to improve the health of the community through enhanced clinical services, facility upgrades and IT infrastructure investments. AHN will become the sole corporate member of HVHS.

AHN and Highmark Health have invested more than $2 billion during the past decade to improve access to care across Western Pennsylvania and beyond, including the construction of new hospitals, community cancer centers, surgery centers and health and wellness pavilions, as well as the expansion and enhancement of capabilities, services and technologies at its existing hospitals.

“Highmark Health is committed to strengthening our regional health care ecosystem through strategic partnerships with exceptional organizations,” said David Holmberg, CEO, Highmark Health. “This affiliation with Heritage Valley reinforces our dedication to providing the communities of Western Pennsylvania with the high-quality, patient-centered care they deserve through our Living Health model, leading to improved health experiences and outcomes for our members and patients.”

Heritage Valley Beaver and Heritage Valley Sewickley will be the first hospitals to fully affiliate with AHN since the network’s affiliation with Grove City Medical Center in 2019.

“At AHN, we’re passionate about collaborating with like-minded patient and community focused organizations to improve health and wellness, and we’re excited to partner with Heritage Valley Health System to help us further advance that vital mission across the region,” said Mark Sevco, president of AHN. “HVHS has a long and distinguished history of providing high-quality services, and we’re confident that, together, we will continue to make a real difference in the health and wellness of those who live in western Allegheny and Beaver counties.”

When the proposed plans involving the various affiliations are finalized, they will be the latest major changes in health care in the Tri-State Area. In January, Weirton Medical Center became a full member of the West Virginia University Health System. That facility, located on Colliers Way, has been rebranded as WVU Medicine-Weirton Medical Center.