The long-awaited combination of Cambridge, Mass.-based Beth Israel Lahey Health and Exeter (N.H.) Health Resources has taken another step forward after a public meeting earlier this month, according to a March 7 report in The Salem News.
"We are currently engaged in the ongoing regulatory process," Beth Israel Lahey spokesperson Sarah Finlaw wrote in an email March 6 after the meeting, the report said.
The two systems agreed to merge June 30, 2022, with regulatory approvals at the time expected to take several months. The window for public comments on the proposed merger closes March 17.
Beth Israel Lahey, which under the deal would acquire all the assets of Exeter Health including Exeter Hospital, Core Physicians and Rockingham Visiting Nurse Association & Hospice, operates 13 hospitals and employs approximately 35,000 people.