Samaritan Health CEO schedules Newport session May 20 to update merger plans with Washington nonprofit

By MIKE FRANCIS/for The Lincoln Chronicle

Samaritan Health Services, which is awaiting approval from Oregon health regulators for its proposal to be absorbed into Tacoma-based MultiCare Health System, has invited members of the public to a series of three town halls to discuss the affiliation.

Samaritan is billing the meetings as “open, candid conversations,” with a chance for Samaritan officials to share updates with the community and to hear from the public. The meetings will be led by Samaritan president and chief executive officer Marty Cahill, who will be accompanied by other members of Samaritan’s leadership team.

The schedule of meetings is:

• Tuesday, May 19, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Boulder Falls Event Center, Lebanon;
• Wednesday, May 20, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Center for Health Education, Newport; and
• Friday, May 22, noon to 1 p.m., virtual, online meeting, with details upon registration.

Samaritan requests attendees register at samhealth.org/affiliation. That site also contains background on the proposed acquisition, including the assurance to Samaritan patients that nothing is changing today about their ability to see their providers.

Cahill held similar sessions last November in Newport and Lincoln City.

Samaritan and MultiCare announced their plans to affiliate last fall, and Oregon health regulators launched a preliminary review of the deal in December. While it is called a 30-day preliminary review, the clock has been paused since early February as Oregon Health Authority officials collect additional information from both parties. A health authority spokesperson said 28 days remain in the preliminary review period.

“Both organizations have been collecting and submitting further information to the OHA since then and have continued to do so as additional information is requested,” Cahill said in a statement to the Lincoln Chronicle. “We do not know how close to a decision the OHA might be, but we are working diligently to provide any information they seek.”

Under the terms of the proposed affiliation, MultiCare agrees to invest $700 million in the Oregon system over 10 years, as well as supply additional funding to back its health plans serving Medicaid and Medicare members.

Samaritan Health Services operates hospitals in Newport, Lincoln City, Corvallis, Albany and Lebanon and employs more than 6,000 people.

It lost $39.9 million in 2025, according to financial filings, and reported patient service, premiums and other operating revenue of $1.9 billion. Those figures represent an improvement over Samaritan’s 2024 results, when its expenses exceeded revenues by almost $68 million.

The Oregon Health Authority is also seeking comments on the merger that affect  Samaritan’s InterCommunity Health Network CCO and thoughts on the proposed merger on potential impacts for Medicaid members in Oregon. If OHA approves the merger, MultiCare would also control the InterCommunity Health network, which coordinates care for Medicaid members in Lincoln, Benton and Linn counties.

OHA’s CCO Form A Review program is hosting two virtual listening sessions so people can directly share their thoughts on how the proposed merger. The listening sessions will take place on from noon to 1 p.m. Tuesday, May 12 and 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday. More information, including links to the virtual listening sessions, is at the CCO Form A website.

People can also provide input by emailing [email protected] or calling 503-945-5999. All submitted comments should mention “InterCommunity Health Network” or “IHN-CCO”.

• Mike Francis is a longtime journalist at The Oregonian, The Business Journal of Portland and The (Bend) Bulletin. He is an editor at large for The Lund Report and can be reached at [email protected].