(Marlton, NJ)— July 16, 2025 — Virtua Health and ChristianaCare have signed a non-binding letter of intent (LOI) to explore the co-founding of a regional not-for-profit health system. The combined system would provide care across more than 10 contiguous counties in New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania and Maryland, with more than 600 sites of care, nearly 30,000 employees, and academic programs supporting more than 500 residents and fellows.

“This is an exciting first step in a collaborative journey to amplify the strengths of two trusted health systems,” said Dennis W. Pullin, FACHE, president and chief executive officer of Virtua Health. “We see this as a unique opportunity to shape the future of care in this region with innovation and intention. Together, we aim to create an integrated regional health system built on human connection, clinical excellence and a deep commitment to all people in the communities we serve.”

“The future of quality health care in America will be shaped by those who take action today to invest in, care for, and be a champion for the needs of patients,” said Janice E. Nevin, M.D., MPH, president and chief executive officer of ChristianaCare.  “At a time of great uncertainty in health care, ChristianaCare and Virtua Health have the foresight and courage to explore what is possible. We are excited to take this bold step to double down on our mission, multiply our excellence and ensure our legacy of high-quality care in our local communities for generations to come.”

Excellence Multiplied

The proposed partnership has the potential to multiply excellence in health care across the region by combining the teams and strengths of two highly respected organizations. Both Virtua Health and ChristianaCare are known nationally for their expertise and leadership in unique care models, including their innovative use of hospital-care-at-home and other new models of care delivery that are transforming the health care experience and bring value to our communities.

The future entity would be guided by a shared vision to deliver convenient, innovative, high-quality care across the region, and to make health care more personalized and easier to navigate for patients and families. This vision includes a commitment to create more convenient access to urgent, primary, and behavioral health care and to improve the health of moms and babies through a proposed maternal risk program that would support more than 15,000 births per year. Virtua Health and ChristianaCare are committed to being leaders in educating and developing a future-ready, engaged workforce for long-term sustainability.

“This collaboration is about two vibrant organizations coming together and doing even more for a growing number of communities we serve,” said George N. Foutrakis, chair of the ChristianaCare Health System Board. “Our vision for this new health system –when Medicare and Medicaid are facing cuts and many hospitals are struggling to stay open – gives me hope and excitement for our future and for the health of our neighbors.”

“We’ve reached an important stage. Both organizations are signaling the desire to continue a thorough and strategic exploration of what would be possible if we joined two legacies of health care excellence,” said Edward Cloues, chair of Virtua Health Board of Trustees. “Our trustees are encouraged by our initial assessments and conversations which suggest we could collectively enhance our capabilities and strengthen our outreach to the communities who depend on us.”
Both parties will now engage in due diligence with the intention of negotiating and signing definitive agreements and seeking regulatory approvals. High-quality patient care and day-to-day operations will remain unchanged during this period. Both Virtua Health and ChristianaCare will continue to operate as separate, independent entities while they explore this potential arrangement.

About Virtua Health

Marlton, N.J.-based Virtua Health is a not-for-profit, academic health system dedicated to enhancing lives and building communities of wellness through a comprehensive range of advanced, accessible, trusted, and personalized health care services. Virtua's 15,000 colleagues, including 3,000 affiliated doctors and clinicians, deliver high-quality tertiary care, encompassing renowned cardiology, neurosciences, and transplant programs, alongside a robust portfolio of community-based offerings. Its extensive network includes five hospitals (1,492 beds), two freestanding emergency departments, 42 ambulatory surgery centers, 38 primary care locations, 30 physical therapy and rehabilitation practices, and over 400 additional sites, plus innovative outreach programs like the "Eat Well" food access initiative.

Virtua is academically affiliated with Rowan University, spearheading research, innovation, and immersive education at the Virtua Health College of Medicine & Life Sciences of Rowan University. It also partners with Penn Medicine for cancer and neuroscience, and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia for pediatrics.

Nationally recognized for its engaged workforce, Virtua is consistently named a "best place to work" by Newsweek, Modern Healthcare, and Becker’s Hospital Review, and has been listed among America’s Best Employers by Forbes for the past six years. Virtua has also earned continual national recognition for patient experience, consumer engagement, and brand loyalty.

About ChristianaCare
Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, ChristianaCare is one of the country’s most dynamic health care organizations, centered on improving health outcomes, and innovating to make high-quality care more accessible and affordable for everyone. ChristianaCare includes an extensive network of primary care and outpatient services, home health care, urgent care centers, three hospitals (1,430 beds), a freestanding emergency department, a Level I trauma center and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit, a comprehensive stroke center and regional centers of excellence in heart and vascular care, cancer care and women’s health. It also includes the pioneering Gene Editing Institute and an extensive network of community-based programs and nonprofit partners to meet both medical and non-medical needs that impact health.

ChristianaCare is nationally recognized as a great place to work and is continually ranked among the nation’s best hospital systems in national quality and safety ratings.

ChristianaCare is a nonprofit teaching health system, serving as the Delaware Branch Campus of the Sidney Kimmel Medical School of Thomas Jefferson University and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, with more than 260 residents and fellows and a physician network with more than 1,300 providers. With its groundbreaking Center for Virtual Health and a focus on population health and value-based care, ChristianaCare is shaping the future of health care.