Guthrie CEO Explains How Lourdes Deal Happened and What’s Next

The agreement that resulted in Guthrie's acquisition of Binghamton-based Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital was put together in only a few months.

Lourdes and its affiliated units became part of the Guthrie healthcare system last week.

Dr. Edmund Sabanegh, Guthrie president and CEO, told WNBF News the process began about a year ago with discussions he started to have with his counterpart at Lourdes, Kathryn Connerton.

Sabanegh said as he became familiar with the history of Lourdes and its caregivers, he "felt a connection." He said "we had similar values - keeping the patients in the center of everything" while striving to provide high-quality care.

Sabanegh noted Guthrie has had a presence in Broome County with a facility in Vestal. He said he "saw an opportunity to grow the amount of care we provided to this community."

Speaking on WNBF's Binghamton Now program, Sabanegh indicated things went smoothly in the discussions with St. Louis-based Ascension Health, which owned Lourdes.

The acquisition was announced last June. Sabanegh said the process to finalize the deal "went as rapidly as possible" given the regulatory approvals that we needed.

Sabanegh said teams from the three organizations - Guthrie, Lourdes and Ascension - worked together on details necessary "to get this done."

As for the future, Sabanegh said he's "anticipating that we grow those services" that already had been available at Lourdes in Binghamton. He said the goal will be "to do everything we can to keep care local."

Sabanegh said Guthrie is studying "what makes sense" in terms of the services that have been offered by Lourdes.

LISTEN: Dr. Edmund Sabanegh, Guthrie president and CEO, spoke on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program on February 7, 2024.

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Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.