Northwell folded Nuvance into a 28-hospital, $23B system across New York and Connecticut

Northwell Health, New York's largest health system, completed its merger with Danbury, Connecticut-based Nuvance Health on May 1, 2025, after the final greenlight from Connecticut regulators the month before. The deal — announced in February 2024 as a path toward financial stability for struggling Nuvance — creates a nearly $23 billion system with 28 hospitals, 1,050 ambulatory care sites, 73 urgent care centers and more than 104,000 employees serving patients across New York and Connecticut.

Approvals ran through the New York State Department of Health, the Connecticut Office of Health Strategy, the attorneys general of both states and the boards of trustees of both organizations. Northwell CEO Michael Dowling stays at the helm of the combined system; Nuvance CEO John Murphy oversees Nuvance operations, reporting to Dowling.

The deal's substance is a capital commitment: Northwell agreed to invest at least $1 billion into Nuvance facilities and expand services — including labor and delivery at Connecticut's Sharon Hospital — while preserving staffing levels at New York's Putnam Hospital. Smaller Nuvance gains access to Northwell's clinical, operating and financial resources for recruiting and developing talent.

A nearly $23B system with 28 hospitals and 104,000+ employees; Northwell committed at least $1B to Nuvance facilities

Nuvance, the smaller system, was struggling financially; the merger was framed from the start as its path to stability through access to Northwell's resources.

Northwell gained a Connecticut footprint and cross-border scale: the combination pushed it to nearly $23 billion in size with 28 hospitals.

The buyer backed the deal with hard commitments — at least $1 billion of facility investment and named service expansions — giving regulators in two states a concrete local-benefit story to approve.

Leadership was settled at completion: Dowling leads the combined system and Murphy runs Nuvance operations reporting to him.

Regional health consolidation clears regulators when the buyer commits hard capital to the acquired system's facilities and promises visible local expansion.

The merger closed May 1, 2025. Northwell begins investing the committed $1 billion into Nuvance facilities, including women's health and labor-and-delivery expansion at Sharon Hospital, while Nuvance keeps operating under Murphy inside the combined system.