Following more than 18 months of thoughtful and thorough negotiations, the Boone Hospital Center (BHC) Trustees and University of Missouri Health Care (MU Health Care) have decided to pause exclusive negotiations. Both organizations entered into the exploration process to determine if there was an opportunity to collaborate to further our missions and improve health care for the citizens of Boone County and all of Missouri. Our guiding principle has been to do what is in the best interest of our patients, employees and communities we serve as we explored many options. The BHC Trustees and MU Health Care leadership were unable to fully align at this time on the mission and strategic direction necessary for the proposed partnership.

"Addressing the future of Boone Hospital Center and its ability to meet the health care needs of the citizens we serve, has been a long, extremely complicated process. The Boone Hospital Board of Trustees will continue to pursue opportunities that effectively position our community hospital as a vital health care resource for the people and communities we serve," said Brian Neuner, chair of the Boone Hospital Center's Board of Trustees.

"We are extremely grateful and appreciative of the time and energy all parties invested to discuss what a partnership could look like," said Jonathan Curtright, chief executive officer of MU Health Care. "As an academic health system, we are committed to being good stewards of our resources and ensuring balance across the three priorities central to our mission: advancing clinical excellence, driving world-class research, and fostering educational opportunities. While our decision to pause negotiations is difficult, there is a tremendous amount of mutual respect for the BHC Board of Trustees and we know that they share our ultimate goal to do what is in the best interest of those we serve."

Our organizations are committed to providing patient-centered care to the patients and the communities in and around Boone County, and we remain willing to explore future collaborations.