Crestwood Medical Center officially joins Huntsville Hospital Health System

Huntsville Hospital announced Wednesday morning that Crestwood Medical Center is now part of Huntsville Hospital Health System, “bringing the hospital under local nonprofit ownership and strengthening health care access for patients and families across North Alabama.”

The transition follows Community Health Systems’ decision to sell Crestwood as part of a broader effort to reduce debt across its national hospital portfolio. When the hospital became available, Huntsville Hospital Health System (HH Health) stepped forward to keep Crestwood locally operated, ensuring future decisions and investments remain focused on the needs of Madison County patients, with resources staying here in the community.

The agreement includes Crestwood Medical Center and its associated facilities, including clinics, outpatient services and its freestanding emergency department.

As part of HH Health, Crestwood becomes part of a coordinated regional network connecting hospitals and ensuring care is available in communities throughout the region.

“We are excited to welcome the Crestwood team into the Huntsville Hospital family and proud of the care they provide,” said Jeff Samz, CEO of Huntsville Hospital Health System. “What this does is strengthen that care and keep it rooted in this community. Bringing Crestwood into our system will have meaningful, positive outcomes for patients, especially in high-need areas like emergency care, labor and delivery, stroke care, and trauma services.”

Early priorities for integration and investment include:

• Evaluating and updating equipment and technology to enhance delivery of care
• Utilizing previously unused space across the hospital, including patient rooms
• Strengthening nurse compensation to support recruitment and retention across both campuses
• Coordinating care between hospitals to ensure patients get the right care, in the right place, at the right time
• Implementing a single electronic health record to enhance continuity of care for patients and provide easier access to information for caregivers

As a nonprofit community-based health system, HH Health reinvests resources directly into patient care, facilities, technology and workforce development across North Alabama and southern Tennessee.

“We think decisions about local health care should be made locally with you in mind,” Samz said. “Starting today, any profit generated by Crestwood will remain right here in our community to serve you – not sent to shareholders or out of state.”

Crestwood Medical Center will continue operating under its name and identity, including its colors and logo. Patients can continue seeing their physicians and receiving care at Crestwood just as they did previously, with no planned changes to services or operations.

“We’re proud of the care the Crestwood team provides every day and excited to continue that work as part of Huntsville Hospital Health System,” said Mike Gillespie, chair of the Crestwood Medical Center Board of Trustees. “Crestwood’s focus remains the same – taking care of patients and supporting the health of this community. We’re confident this partnership allows us to do that on an even larger scale, with added stability and new opportunities to reinvest in equipment, technology and infrastructure that will benefit both our patients and caregivers.”

Some community members have raised questions about how the transition may affect health care choice and competition in the Huntsville area. HH Health leaders noted that the hospital will continue operating separately, and patients will continue to have choices about where they receive care and which physicians they see.

“We aren’t changing the things that make Crestwood special,” Samz said. “If you’ve chosen Crestwood for your care, that choice remains. Your physicians, your care teams and the experience you value will continue to be here for you. What this partnership allows us to do is better coordinate care, expand services where they’re needed most and make sure our community has the health care capacity it needs as Huntsville continues to grow. We’re bringing together the strengths of both organizations to build something even stronger for North Alabama, because this community is worth it.”

HH Health has served North Alabama for more than 130 years and today operates 15 hospitals across the region, including several rural hospitals that might otherwise have closed without local investment and support. This regional approach helps ensure patients can access high-quality care in their own neighborhoods and eases patient volumes and wait times across Huntsville Hospital’s main downtown campus.

The system will continue prioritizing investments that further expand access to care across the region, including recently announced freestanding emergency departments in north Huntsville and Hampton Cove, as well as a new outpatient medical facility serving Lawrence County residents.

“At the end of the day, this is about caring for our community,” Samz said. “We will continue working every day to provide compassionate, high-quality care close to home. We are honored to serve you and are committed to delivering care you can depend on.”