Pennsylvania Health Department officials have given their blessing to nonprofit Tenor Health Foundation’s application to acquire three Northeast Pennsylvania hospitals, multiple sources said Wednesday.
The deal is expected to see Tenor take over Wilkes-Barre General, Moses Taylor and Scranton Regional hospitals, which are owned by Commonwealth Health System. A potential sale price has not been disclosed.
Officials with Tenor and Commonwealth said they are working to confirm the next steps in closing the deal, but Wednesday’s news elicited relief from lawmakers and community supporters who have been fighting to keep the three hospitals open after years of financial struggles and an earlier effort to sell them to a different buyer fell through.
WVIA-FM breaks news of DOH approval
Pa. Rep. Bridget Kosierowski on sale process
“I hope it’s as smooth as possible,” state Rep. Bridget Kosierowski (D-Lackawanna) said of the sale process. “I don’t necessarily know the timeline. But I’m quite confident that they will make sure that the continuity of care, which is the most important thing for our community, is continued.”
Kosierowski praised Tenor’s commitment to the sale, the cooperation of the Department of Health and Gov. Josh Shapiro’s office, as well as a coalition of community foundations that contributed millions of dollars to the hospitals last year while they were bleeding money as efforts to find a buyer were underway.
“So I’m very grateful for all of the support that’s gone into this approval and, most importantly, for the access of our community to emergency care, cardiac care, and labor and delivery care,” Kosierowski said.
Purchase agreement was signed last fall
The road to Wednesday’s approval has been a long one.
Tenor and CHS signed a purchase agreement in October for the facilities, expecting to close the deal by year’s end if funding and approval were secured.
But as noted, the hospitals have faced years of financial stress and increasing fears for their future.
They were purchased over a decade ago by for-profit Tennessee-based Community Health Systems, operating as Commonwealth Health.
Community Health Systems, a publicly traded company, had expanded rapidly, but began experiencing major financial problems as the 2010s wore on.
Since 2020, the company has sold off or announced the sale of dozens of hospitals nationwide, including Berwick Hospital in 2020. The company also closed Tyler Memorial and First Hospital, Wyoming Valley in 2022.
In July 2024, CHS announced that it wanted to sell Moses Taylor, Regional and Wilkes-Barre General to WoodBridge Healthcare, a recently formed nonprofit based in Bucks County. That proposed $120 million deal fell through in November 2024 after the proposed buyer could not secure financing.
That set off a scramble to keep the hospitals open and find a buyer.
In August 2025 Commonwealth announced it had signed a letter of intent with Tenor.
Tenor CEO Radha Savitala on Tuesday told WVIA News that Tenor applied for state Department of Health approval for the deal on Nov. 6, 2025, and requested an expedited review. State officials on Tuesday said the review was continuing, but did not say when it would be complete.
News of the approval broke on Wednesday afternoon.
What comes next?
“We are working with all parties to confirm a closing date,” Savitala said Wednesday.
Commonwealth spokesperson Tomi Galin echoed that.
“We are thrilled to learn that the Pennsylvania Department of Health has approved Tenor Health’s acquisition of the hospitals and clinics of Commonwealth Health,” Galin said.
“Preserving the healthcare services offered by Commonwealth Health is monumentally important to the community, and we are grateful to everyone who has helped make this transaction possible,” Galin added. “The employees and physicians of Commonwealth Health have our deep respect for their professionalism and the quality, compassionate care they provide for their patients.”
“This was the final step in the approval process. CHS and Tenor will now work to finalize the transaction as quickly and as smoothly as possible,” Galin said.
Many hands involved in process
Kosierowski, Savitala, Commonwealth, U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan (R-Luzerne), the Health Department, and the foundations all confirmed the approval on Wednesday.
“We thank the Department for its review and thank the Shapiro Administration for their oversight in the process,” Savitala said.
“Congressman Bresnahan was relentless in his efforts to ensure access to healthcare in the region remains strong and Representative Bridget Kosierowski was instrumental in getting the approval completed for her communities,” Savitala added. “We are humbled by support of everyone involved and look forward to providing care in Northeast Pennsylvania.”
Bresnahan acknowledged the approval in a social media post.
“After months of sustained negotiations and keeping all parties at the table, we’ve reached the finish line. This outcome reflects the dedication and collaboration of local, state, and community partners who came together to support patients, families, and the healthcare workers who serve them every day,” Bresnahan wrote.
Bresnahan was a supporter of keeping the struggling hospitals afloat until a deal could be brokered.
Cognetti: Amid Medicaid cuts, ‘harder work begins’
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti
Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti said she was “pleased” by the DOH decision and the “community effort” that preceded it.
“This means that Moses Taylor, Regional and Wilkes-Barre General hospitals will remain open. In the face of devastating Medicaid cuts and reduced federal funding for healthcare across the Commonwealth, I’m proud that our community came together to advocate for an outcome that will keep our hospitals open for the patients who depend on them for lifesaving care every single day, and that hundreds of hospital staff will remain in the jobs they love,” she said.
“Now the even harder work begins, which includes standing up governance structures that put transparency and accountability at the forefront, and keep community healthcare leaders and experts included in decision-making,” Cognetti said.
Foundations: ‘This is a major step’
The coalition of community foundations contributed millions of dollars to the hospitals last year while they were bleeding money as efforts to find a buyer were in limbo.
Participating in the funding arrangement were The Scranton Area Community Foundation, AllOne Foundation & Charities, Luzerne Foundation, Moses Taylor Foundation, NEPA Health Care Foundation, Allied Services, The Wright Center, and the Scranton Chamber of Commerce.
“The five local foundations are pleased that the Department of Health has approved the sale of the hospitals to Tenor Health,” spokesman Charlie Lyons said Wednesday.
“This is a major step toward what we hope is a solution that can preserve the critical medical services and the dedicated workforce at the hospitals for the long-term, which is the goal that our foundations, community partners, and government leaders have been working to achieve,” Lyons added.
Cognetti offered a similar view.
“I am grateful to Governor Shapiro and his administration, to our state and federal partners, to our community foundations for providing crucial stopgap funding to keep these hospitals operational, and to the SEIU (Service Employees International Union) and Commonwealth Health System staff members whose commitment and advocacy helped make this outcome possible.
SEIU issues statement: ‘Hopeful and relieved’
SEIU Healthcare PA, which represents 800 workers at Regional and Moses Taylor, issued this statement from chapter President Corinne Cianfichi, an occupational therapist who has over 30 years of service to the hospitals.
“The healthcare workers of Regional Hospital of Scranton — which includes the Moses Taylor Campus — are hopeful and relieved that the Department of Health has approved a deal to keep our hospital open. Our hospital is absolutely essential for the health and economy of our entire area. Now we finally have clarity on a direction for the next chapter of this hospital and our future,” Cianfichi wrote.
“Through tough working conditions, fear and anxiety, we stuck by our patients’ side because we believe deeply in providing quality care for our community. Our community stuck by our side as well, and we are so grateful for them and the elected officials who made this deal happen. Together with our community and government leaders, we advocated tirelessly and relentlessly through our union to save Regional,” she added.
“Tenor has agreed to honor our union contract so we can continue to have a strong voice to advocate for our patients and our coworkers. We expect Tenor to work hard and invest resources, and we will work hard to take care of our patients and make our hospital successful. We look forward to working with Tenor to preserve and expand a full range of services and good, family-sustaining jobs, so we can provide the quality healthcare our community deserves,” Cianfichi said.
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Editor’s note: WVIA Healthcare Reporter Lydia McFarlane’s position is supported through funding from Moses Taylor Foundation, AllOne Charities, Eureka Foundation, Wayne County Community Foundation and Community Foundation of the Endless Mountains.
CHS NEPA HOSPITALS’ RECENT HISTORY
● 7/30/24: Commonwealth Health eyes $120M sale of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre hospitals to nonprofit WoodBridge
● 8/5/24: Unions, industry observers see promise, questions in return of CHS hospitals to nonprofit status
● 11/26/24: Commonwealth Health plan to sell Scranton, Wilkes-Barre hospitals dies after funding falls through
● 12/12/24: ‘We don’t have much time’: Elected leaders concerned about fate of CHS hospitals in NEPA
● 12/16/24: Kosierowski, Shapiro rep say talks to find buyer for Regional, Moses Taylor hospitals continue
● 3/10/25: SEIU to host town hall Thursday in Scranton on fate of Regional Hospital
● 3/13/25: State reps: Multiple potential buyers eyeing two financially troubled Scranton hospitals
● 6/28/25: Kosierowski: Geisinger, The Wright Center among contenders to purchase Scranton CHS hospitals
● 7/22/25: Wilkes-Barre General Hospital board names Michael Clark as facility’s new permanent CEO
● 8/6/25: Commonwealth Health signs letter of intent to sell Scranton, Wilkes-Barre hospitals to Tenor Health
● 8/8/25: Wilkes-Barre General Hospital board opposes sale to Tenor Health, appeals to Shapiro’s office
● 9/5/25: State Rep.: Deal to sell three NEPA hospitals possible by end of month
● 10/24/25: Officials confirm CHS, Tenor Health sign deal for sale of Scranton, Wilkes-Barre hospitals
● 11/26/25: Luzerne County Council OKs Tenor Health’s financing proposal for Wilkes-Barre General Hospital
● 1/08/26: CHS, Tenor waiting on Pa. Department of Health OK before they finalize NEPA hospital sale
● 1/27/26: Tenor Health says NEPA hospital purchase deal remains under Pa. Department of Health review
● 1/28/26: BREAKING: Pa. Health Department OKs Tenor Health acquisition application for 3 NEPA hospitals