PROVIDENCE— Lt. Gov. Elizabeth Roberts today issued the following statement on the proposed merger of Care New England and Lifespan that was announced this afternoon:
“The mission of our hospital system is to provide high quality, affordable health care to all Rhode Islanders. As lieutenant governor, I am committed to assuring Rhode Island's hospital system is healthy and strong and serves community health care needs at a cost we can all afford. During the merger review process, I will advocate for a focus on the core mission of hospitals to serve the public and recognize the importance of this proposal's potential for economic growth in the state.
“Over ten years ago, I served as one of the legislative architects of the Hospital Conversion Act that triggers the merger review process. Based on that experience and my work more broadly in the health care field, I am actively committed to careful public oversight of hospital merger proposals with a focus on protecting the public interest. I will advocate to ensure that the interests of the Rhode Island health care consumer and the future of our entire hospital system are central to the review process as the Department of Health and the attorney general move forward.”
-30-