Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) announced today that Saint Mary's Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada is officially a member of the not-for-profit organization. The merger comes after Saint Mary's announced in October that it had entered into exclusive negotiations with CHW to join the San Francisco-based healthcare system. Terms of the deal are not being disclosed.

"We are pleased to extend our ministry into Reno and we welcome the physicians, employees and volunteers of Saint Mary's into our family," said Lloyd H. Dean, president/CEO of CHW. "Together, we will strengthen our ability to serve the health care needs of the Reno community, particularly those most in need."

CHW and the Saint Mary's Board of Directors noted in October that the decision to pursue the merger was made after careful consideration to ensure that an affiliation was right for CHW, for Saint Mary's, and for the community Saint Mary's serves.

"Throughout this process our intent was to join one of the country's premier not-for-profit healthcare systems that would invest in and support our services," said Barbara Curti, immediate past chair of Saint Mary's Board of Directors. "CHW is just such a system and we are proud to be affiliated with an organization that has a strong reputation for delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care."

"This is an exciting day in healthcare in Reno," said Larry O'Brien, chief executive officer of Saint Mary's. "This transition will help expand health care choices in Northern Nevada, and will allow us to invest in and improve health care services to meet the growing needs of the Reno community."

The merger will expand CHW's presence in Nevada. CHW operates three St. Rose Dominican Hospital campuses in Southern Nevada, the most recent of which, the state-of-the-art San Martín campus in Las Vegas, opened in November 2006.

"We sincerely appreciate the community's support during this transition as we continue to provide our patients with quality health care services, a distinctive mark of excellence our communities have come to expect," O'Brien said.

About Catholic Healthcare West

Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), headquartered in San Francisco, CA, is a system of 43 hospitals and medical centers in California, Arizona and Nevada. Founded in 1986, it is the eighth largest hospital system in the nation and the largest not-for-profit provider in California. CHW is committed to delivering compassionate, high-quality, affordable health care services with special attention to the poor and underserved. The CHW network of more than 8,000 physicians and approximately 45,000 employees provides health care services to more than four million people annually. In 2006, CHW provided $465 million in charity care and unsponsored community benefit. For more information, please visit our website at www.chwHEALTH.org.