DUBOIS — Highlands Hospital officially joined Penn Highlands Healthcare, effective Friday, following recent regulatory reviews and approvals.

Now Penn Highlands Connellsville, this 64-bed non-profit community hospital, becomes the eighth hospital in the Penn Highlands Healthcare system and the second in Southwestern Pennsylvania.

“It is a privilege to now include Highlands Hospital as part of our health system,” said Steven M. Fontaine, chief executive officer of Penn Highlands Healthcare. “For more than 130 years, the people in the Connellsville area have received quality healthcare in their community, and this partnership will ensure that they have access to more services and physicians in additional specialties.”

After rigorous due diligence, research and discussion, the boards of directors of both Penn Highlands Healthcare and Highlands Hospital signed a Definitive Agreement in December 2021 that paved the way for the regulatory review and approval and ultimately this integration.

“When we looked at strategic partners, Penn Highlands Healthcare was a natural fit for Highlands Hospital because our missions align very closely together,” said Michael Jordan Jr., chairman of Highlands Hospital Board of Directors. “As part of the Penn Highlands Healthcare system, Highlands Hospital will remain a viable source of healthcare for the people in this community.”