Three U.P. hospitals join forces to create U.P. Health System

ISHPEMING — They say good things come in threes.  If that’s so, then the Upper Peninsula is about the experience some great medical care.

Three U.P. hospitals have joined forces.  Bell Hospital, Marquette General Health System and Portage Health are now U.P. Health System.

Hospital officials announced the merger Tuesday.  All three hospitals are a part of Duke LifePoint Healthcare.

“There is more we can accomplish together than we ever could apart. I don’t see anything but growth and I see us developing more and more services and we are going to enhance services we already have. Which means that we are looking at a situation where we don’t have to have any layoffs and there will be no labor changes,” U.P. Health market president Jim Bogan said.

All three hospitals will continue to operate independently and promote the areas of strength and the specialties they concentrate on.

“We really see ourselves as tertiary a hospital and with Bell and Portage we see as a support for them as they keep what they can in their hospital and then any complicated cases or service we can provide they would refer to Marquette,” MGH CEO Ed Banos said.

U.P. Health System already has its new name up at Bell Hospital, and the system is running a series of print and television ads.

The new system can be found by calling (844) 411-UPHS or online at www.UPHealthSystem.com.