The Massachusetts Department of Public Health hosted one of several hearings on the proposed merger between Boston-based Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Burlington, Mass.-based Lahey Health Jan. 3, Mass Live reports.
Those in attendance at the meeting included officials from Anna Jaques and Beth Israel, as well as Newburyport community members. The majority of those who spoke at the meeting said the proposed merger would prove beneficial to the local community, according to the report.
Beth Israel and Lahey Health, who signed a proposed merger agreement in January 2017, were later joined by three other health organizations in the proposed deal. Those organizations included Boston-based New England Baptist Hospital; Cambridge, Mass.-based Mount Auburn Hospital; and Newburyport, Mass.-based Anna Jaques Hospital.
Independent hospitals involved in the proposed merger would still maintain their own brands and, if applicable, their nonprofit status, Anna Jaques Hospital President and CEO Mark Goldstein said in a statement.
A spokesperson from the Boston-based consulting firm ML Strategies told Becker's Hospital Review Wednesday officials have not decided on a brand name for the proposed merged entity.
State officials will reportedly issue a decision on the proposed merger during the coming months.
Editor's note: This article was updated at 1:10 p.m. Jan. 10 to include comment from a spokesperson from ML Strategies.