MOSES LAKE — Samaritan Healthcare is hosting an open community forum tonight to provide information and gather public feedback on the organization’s potential affiliation with Confluence Health.

The informational forum is intended to provide an update to community members regarding the parameters of the proposed Samaritan-Confluence affiliation and to gather feedback and answer questions. The forum is slated to run from 7 to 8 p.m. in room 407 at Samaritan Hospital (801 E. Wheeler Rd.).

Last Tuesday, the Board of Commissioners of Grant County Public Hospital District No. 1, which owns and operates Samaritan, signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for the proposed affiliation with Confluence. The MOU defines what the prospective partnership would look like, if finalized, including its structure, governance and financial terms.

The MOU is not a legally binding document for either party in terms of cementing the affiliation, but officials from both organizations told the Columbia Basin Herald last week that the acceptance of the memorandum is viewed as a step forward in the process.

Next, representatives from Samaritan and Confluence will continue collaborating to develop the definitive legal agreements for the proposed affiliation. The organizations will work to fill in all the blanks that are left by the MOU, which defines the basic structure of the partnership. According to information released by Samaritan and Confluence, that process is expected to take several months.

The signed MOU indicates that if the affiliation is eventually finalized, Grant County Public Hospital District No. 1 will lease its real estate assets, including Samaritan, to a new division of Confluence in Moses Lake for 30 years, with two 10-year options to extend the lease.

The goal of the proposed partnership is to improve local access to high-value, high-quality care in Moses Lake for residents of the area in order to minimize the need to travel out of the region for health care.

All members of the public who have questions, concerns or comments or who wish to learn more about Samaritan’s goals in forming the partnership are invited to attend tonight’s forum, starting at 7 p.m.

Ryan Minnerly can be reached via email at countygvt@columbiabasinherald.com.