Allen Memorial Medical Center merged with Lorain-based Community Health Partners, ending weeks of heated debate over the planned takeover. The merger was made official on Feb. 1 when Oberlin College, which owns the Allen’s land and building, agreed to the transfer of property.

CHP has been managing the hospital since a budget crisis three years ago nearly shut it down.

The negotiations had raised concerns due to the relative secrecy in which they were conducted and the seeming inevitability of CHP’s takeover. Concerns were also raised over the ethics policies of CHP’s parent company, Catholic Healthcare Partners.

Both sides of the merger maintain that the deal was necessary for the hospital’s future viability and that CHP’s role in turning the facility around made it the logical choice.

“The healthcare environment today makes it nearly impossible for a hospital to survive as a stand-alone facility,” Allen Board President Douglas Wilber said on CHP’s corporate website.

CHP CEO Brian Lockwood echoed his sentiments, saying, “By formalizing our partnership, we can ensure that Allen will be able to continue servicing the Southern portions of our county with top quality healthcare services.”

Under the new ownership Allen plans to begin construction of a new surgery center, but for the time being the hospital will continue business as usual. The hospital will continue to operate as a 25-bed acute care facility and will continue to operate under the name Allen Medical Center. There are also no plans for changes in operation or staff.

“No services are going to be cut,” Jennifer Kennedy, Director of Marketing for CHP, said. “Right now we’re just continuing as normal.”