Affiliation with Cedars-Sinai Becomes Official

A letter to our Huntington Community

August 4, 2021

Dear Huntington Community, We are writing with very exciting news: Effective today, Huntington Hospital is now an affiliate of Cedars‑Sinai Health System.

We entered into this affiliation so that we can sustain our 129‑year commitment to compassionate community care. While drawing on the extraordinary strengths of this affiliation, Huntington’s unique culture as a community institution, governed by our local board with our own employees and medical staff, will continue. In addition, philanthropy and volunteer support will remain locally controlled by Huntington Hospital for the benefit of the communities we serve.

Being part of Cedars‑Sinai Health System brings many benefits to our community, our employees and our medical staff. The health system has committed to investment in Huntington Hospital in many areas, including enterprise information technology, expanded ambulatory services and enhanced physician development. There will also be many opportunities for collaborations with the other entities in the health system — sharing expertise and resources that further strengthen Huntington and our longstanding commitment to providing affordable, high‑quality care to the San Gabriel Valley.

One thing that won’t change is our ongoing focus on providing excellent, compassionate patient care to our community. It has always been, and remains, our top priority. This new affiliation with Cedars‑Sinai ensures we can continue to meet this commitment for decades to come.

We have attached a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) below. Please feel free to direct any further questions or concerns to [email protected]. While we may not have all the answers now, we will answer all questions we can. We appreciate your continued commitment to this hospital, our patients, and our community. We look forward to working together to preserve our legacy of compassionate, community‑based care as we look to a new and brighter future for Huntington Hospital.

Sincerely,

Download this Community Letter as a PDF.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does today’s news mean?
   The affiliation between Huntington Hospital and Cedars-Sinai Health System became official today, with the completion of the appropriate regulatory approvals.
2. Why did Huntington choose to affiliate with a health system?
   The affiliation is designed to strengthen Huntington’s long-term commitment to providing affordable, accessible, high-quality care to the San Gabriel Valley. Joining with a world-class health system like Cedars-Sinai is the best way to secure Huntington’s future, enabling us to serve patients and the community for decades to come. This is especially true considering the challenges we, and the rest of our field face, including the ongoing costs of new medical and information technology; the increasing focus on accessible, coordinated care; and the need to make health care as affordable as possible.
3. Why is Cedars-Sinai the right health system for Huntington?
   Cedars-Sinai Health System has demonstrated a commitment to build on the strengths of its affiliates to advance clinical quality, provide outstanding patient care and engage with the communities it serves. Our affiliation with Cedars-Sinai Health System provides for a wide variety of collaborations, as well as the sharing of resources and expertise. In addition, the health system has committed to investing in Huntington Hospital in many areas, including enterprise information technology, expanded ambulatory services and enhanced physician development.
4. What exactly is Cedars-Sinai Health System?
   Cedars-Sinai Health System was established in 2017 to bring together a collaborative network of high-quality healthcare institutions to share resources and expertise. Expanding patient access to convenient and affordable clinical care is a fundamental goal of the health system. Cedars-Sinai Health System comprises:

• Cedars-Sinai (which includes the 890-bed Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the 145-bed Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, joint ventures such as California Rehabilitation Institute and Cedars-Sinai Providence Tarzana Medical Center, as well as its network of physicians and ambulatory services at more than 40 locations throughout Southern California);
• Torrance Memorial (which includes the 470-bed Torrance Memorial Medical Center, its network of physicians and medical offices throughout the South Bay); and, as of today,
• Huntington Hospital (including its 619-bed hospital, medical offices and physician network).

5. Will Huntington still have local governance?
   Yes. While Huntington will continue its local governance — with its own employees, board of directors and medical staff — Cedars-Sinai Health System provides for a wide variety of collaborations, as well as the sharing of resources and expertise.
6. Huntington has a longstanding tradition of serving the needs of its local community. How might that change with Cedars-Sinai Health System?
   This was a critical element in our decision to affiliate. Our commitment to the communities of the San Gabriel Valley will not change; in fact, one of the reasons for joining forces with Cedars-Sinai Health System is to ensure the ongoing fulfillment of our historic mission for years to come.
7. What will happen to Huntington physicians and employees at this time?
   Our intent in joining Cedars-Sinai Health System is to make Huntington better and stronger for the benefit of our entire community, including staff and physicians. Over the coming months, leaders from both institutions will be meeting to map out potential areas for collaboration and for the sharing of resources and expertise.
8. Are staffing reductions at Huntington part of the affiliation with Cedars-Sinai Health System?
   We did not choose to pursue this affiliation in order to manage costs, but rather to ensure a continued focus on quality patient care, excellence in our nursing and medical staff, and the ongoing fulfillment of our historic mission through investment in enterprise information technology, ambulatory services and physician development. For now, it remains business as usual at Huntington Hospital. Our intent in joining Cedars-Sinai Health System is to make Huntington better and stronger for the benefit of our entire community, including staff.
9. Will our donors or volunteers be affected by an agreement?
   All donors can be confident that past and future gifts will continue to be used exclusively for the purposes for which they are designated. Similarly, volunteers will continue to serve Huntington, just as they do today. Our donors and volunteers are part of what make us special and successful as a community institution, and we remain grateful for their support.
10. I have additional questions. To whom should I address them?
    Please feel free to direct any questions or concerns to [email protected]. In addition, we will be holding a number of informational sessions over the coming weeks to address questions and keep you up to date.

Download these Frequently Asked Questions as a PDF.