Sparrow Health System has officially joined University of Michigan Health, effective April 1. Sparrow and U-M Health have received the necessary regulatory approvals to partner after announcing their plans in December to create the premier statewide system of care. Sparrow has more than 120 sites of care and is one of the largest health systems in Michigan, with about 10,000 caregivers and approximately 600 employed primary-care providers and specialists. With the addition of Sparrow, University of Michigan Health now oversees more than 200 care sites across the state and has grown to be a $7-billion organization. “This is an incredibly proud moment for Sparrow as joining University of Michigan Health enables us to accelerate our expansion of services, build greater breadth and depth of clinical expertise, and seamlessly integrate leading-edge technology and other updates into our facilities,” said Sparrow Health System President and CEO James F. Dover. “We look forward to realizing our shared goal of delivering nationally renowned clinical excellence in an accessible way for patients.” Paul Brown, chair of the U-M Board of Regents, commented, “This combination creates a clinical care network that builds upon the strengths of the world-class University of Michigan Health academic medical center and Sparrow’s successful community-based health system.” University of Michigan Health has committed $800 million in investment to Sparrow, which will be funded through hospital operations and strategic investments over eight years. The new agreement builds upon the successful partnership formed through University of Michigan Health at Sparrow Children’s Center, as well as University of Michigan Health’s investment in Sparrow’s health plan, Physicians Health Plan (PHP). “We become part of University of Michigan Health knowing that we have had a successful partnership in the past and have the same vision for the future,” said Sparrow Health System Board Chair John Pirich. “This enables Sparrow to achieve our long-term strategy of helping to create a statewide system of care while providing world-class care close to home.” “For University of Michigan Health, this milestone advances our organization’s long-term vision of a statewide system of highly coordinated care. The completion of this transaction represents a special moment and, as one team, we are well positioned to unlock new opportunities and share best practices while providing our patients with the highest level of care,” said Marschall S. Runge, M.D., Ph.D., CEO of Michigan Medicine, dean of the University of Michigan Medical School and executive vice president for medical affairs at the University of Michigan. “We are confident that, together, University of Michigan Health and Sparrow will bring increased health care innovation to Mid-Michigan and beyond.”