Ministry Health Care and Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare have announced the sale of Affinity Health System in Wisconsin’s Fox Valley, with Ministry assuming ownership of Affinity for an undisclosed price.
Ministry and Wheaton have been co-sponsors of Affinity since 1996, but challenges related to health care reform and federal budget deficits prompted the sale, according to John Oliverio, president and CEO of Wheaton Franciscan Healthcare. He said Ministry had approached Wheaton about the transaction last year.
“The assumption of sole sponsorship by Ministry will extend our health care delivery footprint into a contiguous geographic market,” added Nick Desien, president and CEO of Ministry Health Care, in a press release.
Affinity is a network of three hospitals, 26 clinics, a medical group that includes nearly 300 providers, and 4,000 employees who provide health care services in the greater Fox Valley area. Affinity’s Network Health Plan provides health insurance benefits to more than 133,000 members in 17 northeastern Wisconsin counties.
