Advocate Aurora Health (Milwaukee, Downers Grove, Ill.) and Atrium Health (Charlotte, N.C.) announced plans to merge.
The combined organization will transition to a new brand name, Advocate Health, and be headquartered in Charlotte. The Advocate Aurora and Atrium Health brands will be used in their respective local markets.
Advocate Health will have a combined footprint across Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama.
The move will result in the fifth largest health system in the country based on revenue.
In a press release, the organizations shared that the merger aims to target six key areas. Those include clinical pre-eminence and safety, health equity, affordability, next-generation workforce, learning and discovery, and environmental sustainability.
Highlights of the strategy include a $2 billion pledge to disrupt the root causes of health inequities across both rural and urban underserved communities. Additionally, the new Advocate Health commits to achieving carbon neutrality by 2030 and pledges to create more than 20,000 new jobs.
A board of directors comprising an equal number of members from Advocate Aurora and Atrium Health will govern the system.
