TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) — Union Health and Terre Haute Regional Hospital are set to merge after the Indiana Department of Health approved a Certificate of Public Advantage (COPA) application that was submitted in February 2025.
The department examined factors such as proposed improvements in healthcare access and quality during the review period.
Steve Holman, President and CEO of Union Health, said the merger represents more than just a resource combination. “It is an opportunity for growth, expanded services, and improved health outcomes for those we serve.”
Molly Callahan, Chair of the Union Health Board of Directors, emphasized the merger’s benefits. “We can not only combine those resources but expand the quality of health care we provide,” Callahan said.
“The result of this merger will be lower prices and more healthcare services available to residents of Terre Haute and Vigo County because of the strict operating terms and conditions that Union accepted,” Indiana Gov. Mike Braun said in a written statement.
Earlier this year, we had the opportunity to speak with a panel of four medical professionals from Union Health.
That panel included:
- Mary Abernathy, MD, MS, MBA, FACOG, RDMS – Maternal Fetal Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynecology
- Mark Schuld, MD – Union Medical Group Medical Director / Physician at Riley Family Medicine
- George Fritch IV, MD – Program Director of Union Hospital Family Medicine Residency
- Jennifer Jaeger, RN, BSN, CCRN – Neonatal, CELBW – Newborn Intensive Care Unit
“It opens up options for primary care clinics, specialty care clinics that we currently don’t have space for in the brick and mortar that we have,” said Dr. Mark Schuld.
In summary, the panel agreed that merging Union and Regional would open opportunity for increased healthcare access. They were also in agreement that providing expanded services could mean that patients would seek treatment in Terre Haute, rather than opting for Indianapolis.
Union Health says it will ensure a smooth transition for patients and staff as the merger is finalized.
The critics
In April, Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita said he was concerned the merger would hurt competition in Terre Haute.
“We all understand that hospitals face distinct challenges, but consolidation at the expense of free-market competition is not the way to address those challenges in this case,” Rokita said earlier this year.
In a written statement, the attorney general’s office added, “IDOH must soon decide to either deny the merger or permit the consolidation and monopolization of Terre Haute’s only two hospitals.”
In May, the Federal Trade Commission reaffirmed its opposition to the merger.
FTC staff said Union Health and THRH’s second attempt to merge under a proposed certificate of public advantage, also known as a COPA, presents the same anticompetitive harms as their original application did, according to the FTC’s comment letter. Union Health and THRH’s COPA application would shield the proposed merger from antitrust scrutiny. The FTC warned that the merger poses substantial anticompetitive risks such as higher healthcare costs for patients and lower wages for hospital workers.
Read the full statement from the FTC here.