Northwell Health completes merger with Nuvance Health

NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 7, 2025--

Northwell Health and Nuvance Health today announced the two nonprofit health systems have officially joined together to form a new integrated regional health system that will enhance care for communities across greater New York and Connecticut, serving a population of more than 13 million.

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The integrated system, with a combined $22.6 billion operating budget, now encompasses over 104,000 employees, a diverse network of 22,000 nurses and 13,500 providers at 28 hospitals, more than 1,050 ambulatory care and 73 urgent care locations while tapping into the world-class expertise of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies.

“Today marks a commitment to the future of health care in the region. This partnership opens a new and exciting chapter for Northwell Health and Nuvance Health to take patient care and services to an even higher level,” said Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health. “We already had similar missions in providing high-quality care for patients in the communities we serve, and we look forward to building on the world class care that Nuvance Health’s staff members and providers deliver every day. We’re excited to move forward, united in our vision to transform health care and build a healthier future for the residents of Connecticut and New York.”

The New York State Department of Health and Connecticut Office of Health Strategy, along with the attorneys general of each state, approved plans for the integrated health system, which received final clearance after the board of trustees from both organizations voted to move forward. As part of the agreement, Northwell will invest at least $1 billion in Nuvance hospitals.

“At Nuvance Health, we have always been deeply committed to delivering high-quality, compassionate care to our communities,” said John M. Murphy, MD, president and CEO of Nuvance Health. “Joining forces with Northwell Health strengthens our ability to meet the evolving needs of patients and ensures we can provide exceptional care for generations to come. This is a transformative moment for our patients, employees and the communities we serve.”

“This is an unprecedented opportunity to build a more integrated, regionally connected health system across New York and Connecticut,” said Margaret Crotty, chair of the Northwell Health Board of Trustees. “It is based on our aligned commitments to expanding access to excellent care, and to recruiting and retaining the best clinical talent. The Northwell board is confident this new partnership will bring great value to both organizations.”

Both Northwell Health and Nuvance Health reaffirm their commitments to the goals and objectives of the new integrated health system:

Deliver extraordinary clinical care to patients
With increased capacity to invest in medical advancements and innovation, the integrated system will better serve patients in their respective markets and communities. With Nuvance Health joining Northwell Health, patients will have enhanced access to coordinated care in their local communities at more than 1,050 sites across Connecticut, New York City, Long Island and the Hudson Valley. The care delivered in these sites will span the full range of ambulatory, hospital and post-acute services.

Create healthier communities
Combining Nuvance Health with the resources of Northwell Health will enable the organizations to meet the evolving, varied needs of local communities more quickly, more efficiently and more effectively. Together, both organizations can make significant improvements to health outcomes and address health disparities across the communities they serve. As nonprofit organizations, Northwell and Nuvance Health will also continue to provide care to anyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

Advance medical innovation
By joining Northwell Health, Nuvance Health will gain access to the clinical, operating and financial resources of one of the nation’s most comprehensive and integrated health systems. Combining clinical and technical capabilities and expertise from both organizations will help drive even greater innovation, enhanced care and services offerings. Building on each organization’s research, education and clinical care infrastructure, the combined entity will accelerate innovation in patient care and advance medical research that can help transform lives.

Recruit top talent
An increased opportunity for Nuvance Health to attract and retain top talent, including medical, surgical and research specialists as well as nurses, allied health and business professionals. By coming together, medical staff and team members will have professional growth opportunities, new career opportunities and the chance to work with some of the best in the industry. This could include academic pathways for health professionals to acquire additional degrees and for new graduates to fill high-demand positions.

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About Northwell Health
Northwell is the largest not-for-profit health system in the Northeast, serving residents of New York and Connecticut with 28 hospitals, more than 1,000 outpatient facilities, 22,000 nurses and over 20,000 physicians. Northwell cares for more than three million people annually in the New York metro area, including Long Island, the Hudson Valley, western Connecticut and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Northwell is New York State’s largest private employer with over 104,000 employees – including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners and Nuvance Health Medical Practices – who are working to change health care for the better. Northwell is making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Northwell is training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visitNorthwell.eduand follow us @NorthwellHealth onFacebook,X,InstagramandLinkedIn.

From left: Nuvance Health CEO John M. Murphy, MD, shakes hands with Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling. Credit Lee Weissman/Northwell Health

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. flu infections showed signs of a slight decline last week, but health officials say it is not clear that this severe flu season has peaked.

New government data posted Friday — for flu activity through last week — showed declines in medical office visits due to flu-like illness and in the number of states reporting high flu activity.

However, some measures show this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history. And experts believe there is more suffering ahead.

“This is going to be a long, hard flu season,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, in a statement Friday.

One type of flu virus, called A H3N2, historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. So far this season, that is the type most frequently reported. Even more concerning, more than 91% of the H3N2 infections analyzed were a new version — known as the subclade K variant — that differs from the strain in this year’s flu shots.

The last flu season saw the highest overall flu hospitalization rate since the H1N1 flu pandemic 15 years ago. And child flu deaths reached 289, the worst recorded for any U.S. flu season this century — including that H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic of 2009-2010.

So far this season, there have been at least 15 million flu illnesses and 180,000 hospitalizations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. It also estimates there have been 7,400 deaths, including the deaths of at least 17 children.

Last week, 44 states reported high flu activity, down slightly from the week before. However, flu deaths and hospitalizations rose.

Determining exactly how flu season is going can be particularly tricky around the holidays. Schools are closed, and many people are traveling. Some people may be less likely to see a doctor, deciding to just suffer at home. Others may be more likely to go.

Also, some seasons see a surge in cases, then a decline, and then a second surge.

For years, federal health officials joined doctors' groups in recommending that everyone 6 months and older get an annual influenza vaccine. The shots may not prevent all symptoms but can prevent many infections from becoming severe, experts say.

But federal health officials on Monday announced they will no longer recommend flu vaccinations for U.S. children, saying it is a decision parents and patients should make in consultation with their doctors.

“I can’t begin to express how concerned we are about the future health of the children in this country, who already have been unnecessarily dying from the flu — a vaccine preventable disease,” said Michele Slafkosky, executive director of an advocacy organization called Families Fighting Flu.

“Now, with added confusion for parents and health care providers about childhood vaccines, I fear that flu seasons to come could be even more deadly for our youngest and most vulnerable," she said in a statement.

Flu is just one of a group of viruses that tend to strike more often in the winter. Hospitalizations from COVID-19 and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, also have been rising in recent weeks — though were not diagnosed nearly as often as flu infections, according to other federal data.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

FILE - Pharmacy manager Aylen Amestoy administers a patient with a seasonal flu vaccine at a CVS Pharmacy in Miami, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)