Alston & Bird Assists Emory Healthcare in Strategic Partnership with Saint Joseph's

Alston & Bird LLP today announced its participation as counsel to Emory Healthcare in a complex joint venture transaction that combined two leading nonprofit health care systems in Atlanta. The transaction closed December 31, 2011, after an extensive negotiation process.

The combination of Emory Healthcare and Saint Joseph’s Hospital System involves a new joint operating company (JOC) controlled by Emory Healthcare that will allow the two organizations to combine key strengths and resources and further their respective academic and Catholic health care missions. The JOC will own and operate prominent health care facilities, including Saint Joseph’s Hospital of Atlanta, Atlanta’s oldest hospital and currently a 410-bed acute-care facility recognized as one of the top specialty-referral hospitals in the Southeast, and Emory Johns Creek Hospital, a full-service, 110-bed acute-care facility featuring some of the most advanced medical technologies available. Emory Healthcare will also provide comprehensive management services to the JOC to bring the full benefit of the highly regarded Emory Healthcare system.

Alston & Bird is honored to have provided Emory Healthcare with the firm’s broad experience in structuring, negotiating and executing complex strategic transactions involving hospitals and health systems. The partnership with Emory Healthcare and Saint Joseph’s particularly highlights Alston & Bird’s capabilities in transactions involving nonprofit hospitals and hospital systems, including hospitals and hospital systems with academic and religious affiliations. The JOC transaction required significant involvement of the firm’s talents and resources in numerous areas, including health care transactions, health care regulation and government investigations, non-profit and tax-exempt entities, tax-exempt finance and bonds, antitrust matters, employee benefits and executive compensation, real estate and intellectual property.

“Alston & Bird is proud to have played a vital part in bringing two of Atlanta’s oldest and most respected health care providers together to better serve the community,” said Managing Partner Richard Hays, “and the firm lauds the tremendous efforts of the attorneys that put this deal together and brought it to completion.”

The Alston & Bird team was led by Steve Pottle, a partner and chair of Alston & Bird’s Health Care Group, in conjunction with senior associate Perry Smith. The firm’s team also included attorneys Jennifer Lyle, Donna Bergeson, Rob Stone, Glenn Thomson, Fallany Stover, Adam Biegel, Matthew Kent, Jack Sawyer, Mike Petrik, Margaret Scott, Blake MacKay, Bob Riordan, Kim Fogarty, Christina Rogers, Amber Pelot and Marty Elgison.