GREENSBURG, PA, September 9, 2009 … Excela Health and Conemaugh Health System welcome Heritage Valley Health System as their newest partner in offering home medical equipment to patients and care providers in southwestern Pennsylvania.

MedCare Equipment Company, LLC, was formed last year with the coming together of two former companies  MedCare Equipment Company, part of Excela Health, and Conemaugh Home Medical Equipment, Johnstown. The new company, which began operating May 1, 2008, chose to keep the MedCare name to build on the reputation and name recognition that already exists in the market. The company provides a wide range of medical equipment, supplies, and respiratory care products for use in the home, nursing home, physician offices, and other health-related organizations as well as through retail outlets.

John Sphon, chief executive officer of MedCare, noted the benefits of this latest collaboration.

“MedCare’s focus is on patients and how best to assist them in transitioning from the hospital to home in the most effective and caring manner possible,” Sphon said. “We have been serving physicians, hospitals, and extended care facilities throughout southwestern Pennsylvania for many years. Heritage Valley is a very solid health system with strong leadership, a high quality medical staff and dedicated employees. We are pleased to partner with them in providing service to their growing community.”

“Our collaborative venture has far reaching benefits for the region,” said Scott Becker, CEO, Conemaugh Health System and Memorial Medical Center. “Working together represents a means by which we can serve the needs of our patients effectively and efficiently, drawing on the experience of another major health system with a history of successfully cultivating business and health care relationships that produce results.”

“Through the vision of our board of directors, Heritage Valley has and continues to work collaboratively with other health systems, resulting in cost efficiencies, economies of scale, and the elimination of duplicative services,” said Norm Mitry, President and CEO of Heritage Valley Health System. “We are pleased to partner in this collaborative venture, which will have far reaching benefits for patients and customers in Western Pennsylvania.”

With the addition of Heritage Valley, MedCare now covers a 14-county area including Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Butler, Cambria, Clearfield, Fayette, Indiana, Lawrence, Somerset, Washington and Westmoreland counties, as well as eastern Ohio and northern West Virginia. The company employs 75 people in four locations with retail stores and warehouse facilities in Greensburg and Johnstown, and plans to add retail and distribution centers to serve Heritage Valley.