This article was contributed by Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital Director of Marketing Frankie Gallagher.

Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital (HHMH) and Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital (SVMH) continue to study how the two healthcare systems could work together for the benefit of patients. The hospitals entered into an exclusive negotiating agreement in May 2018. The agreement enables both hospitals to take an in-depth look at how a collaboration of resources might help their respective communities.

As a part of the negotiation process, Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital has contracted with a consulting group, ECG Management Consultants, to perform due diligence in exploring the business and patient care model of HHMH. This due diligence is expected to be completed shortly, with a final report anticipated within the next two months.

In a recent poll of San Benito County residents fielded by Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, 82 percent of residents polled felt that a partnership with a larger health system would help their community.

The two healthcare facilities already have a strong collaborative relationship. Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital utilizes Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital's materials purchasing contracts to receive the larger facility’s economies of scale in purchasing supplies and equipment. A fuller collaboration has the potential to add more specialists and streamlined services to San Benito County.