RWJBarnabas signs definitive agreement to acquire Trinitas Regional Medical Center

RWJBarnabas Health (RWJBH) signed a definitive agreement to acquire Elizabeth, New Jersey-based Trinitas Regional Medical Center and its affiliates.

The agreement comes about a month after the West Orange, New Jerse,y health system signed a letter of intent with Trinitas to explore the potential transaction.

“We are excited that Trinitas Regional Medical Center and its affiliates will become a part of RWJBarnabas Health,” said Barry Ostrowsky, president and CEO of RWJBH, in a statement. “Trinitas is a vital resource to the communities it serves, and we intend to greatly expand its excellent care to residents of new communities in northern and central New Jersey. When joining together two entities with such similar missions and goals, the opportunities are enormous.” 

Under the terms of the proposed transaction, RWJBH will become the corporate parent of Trinitas.

RELATED: RWJBarnabas Health plans acquisition of Trinitas Regional Medical Center

However, Trinitas would remain a Catholic institution and continue to abide by the Catholic directives. The Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth would continue to serve as the Catholic sponsor of Trinitas, and the Elizabethtown Healthcare Foundation will continue to address the needs of nonprofit organizations in Union County, including RWJBH/Trinitas. The Trinitas Board will continue to oversee day-to-day operations of Trinitas.

Under the terms of the deal, RWJBH will make "significant investments in Trinitas"  and will expand its network of outpatient services. 

Approvals are still needed from state and federal officials as well as the Catholic Church, officials said. That process is expected to take up to one year.

RWJBH was created as the result of a 2016 merger between Barnabas Health and Robert Wood Johnson Healthcare and has 11 acute care hospitals, three acute care children’s hospitals and a pediatric rehabilitation hospital. In 2018, RWJBH and Rutgers University announced a $1 billion academic medical partnership.

Trinitas Regional Medical Center is a 554-bed, Catholic, acute care teaching hospital with more than 400,000 patient contacts per year. Trinitas is the result of a merger in the year 2000 between Elizabeth General Medical Center and St. Elizabeth Hospital.

“Our discussions during this past year have been very fruitful and encouraging, and through this process we learned that we share very similar commitments to quality and excellent healthcare.  We are increasingly confident that the path we are taking toward integration with RWJBH is the right one for our institution and our community,” said Trinitas President and CEO Gary Horan in a statement.