State Rep. Tim O'Neal | Pennsylvania 48th Legislative District
State Rep. Tim O'Neal | Pennsylvania 48th Legislative District
HARRISBURG – Members of the Washington County legislative delegation, led by Rep. Tim O’Neal (R-Washington), have called on Gov. Josh Shapiro to collaborate with the Pennsylvania attorney general to finalize the merger between Washington Health System (WHS) and UPMC.
Other delegation members supporting this initiative include Reps. Bud Cook (R-Greene/Washington), Josh Kail (R-Beaver/Washington), and Natalie Mihalek (R-Allegheny/Washington).
In June 2023, the WHS board signed a non-binding letter of intent to negotiate an affiliation agreement with UPMC. By late 2022, WHS had submitted a request for proposals to affiliate with a larger healthcare provider to enhance its services and clinical offerings. The goal was to ensure sustainable, high-quality healthcare for current and future generations in Washington and Greene counties. Without the merger, Washington Hospital faces potential closure, jeopardizing jobs, pay, and benefits for employees.
“The attorney general must approve the deal for it to be finalized; however, there is a force of outside political pressure muddying the situation,” O’Neal stated. “Ceding to political pressure by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Gov. Shapiro’s hand-picked attorney general held a first-of-its-kind public hearing on the merger earlier this year, where nearly every single testifier spoke in support of the deal. Yet months later, there is still no action to complete the process, leaving employees and health care services at risk in Washington and Greene counties."
“The UPMC acquisition of Washington Health System will present opportunities to the region, preserving jobs and maintaining services for all patients,” Kail said. “We encourage the governor to take a stand in the best interest of the public and help expedite this process because the current situation is not sustainable.”
“Interestingly, Gov. Shapiro, who boasts about helping to settle the UPMC/Highmark dispute in 2019, has been radio silent as health care services and thousands of jobs hang in the balance,” O’Neal remarked. “I suspect this is due to SEIU being a powerful ally of Shapiro. The organization gave the governor a significant amount of money for his gubernatorial campaign. For a governor who claims to ‘get stuff done,’ it’s time to get off the sidelines and get into the game.”
“The lack of action on this topic is creating unnecessary hardships,” Mihalek commented. “There are business and financial aspects to health care and these needless delays create unpredictability and instability. I’m all for due diligence and making thoughtful decisions, but these discussions have dragged on long enough, and residents in our local communities deserve answers.”
“I have been meeting with officials from Washington Health System since before the proposed merger to ensure continued access to care for area residents,” Cook added. “I will continue to stay in contact with stakeholders to ensure a positive outcome for our community.”
Representative Tim O’Neal
48th Legislative District
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
Media Contact: Tracy Polovick
717-260-6358
tpolovick@pahousegop.com
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