Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare and Tenet have made the decision to continue to operate MLH and Saint Francis hospitals as separate health entities.

With the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC) recent decision to ask a court to block the sale of the transaction, we would prefer to focus on continuing our commitment to provide compassionate and high quality care to patients rather than costly and protracted litigation that would have lasted at least 18 months and distracted from our core mission.

We continue to believe that the proposed acquisition of Saint Francis hospitals and its associated properties would improve healthcare delivery for residents of Memphis, Bartlett and the surrounding communities, including enhancing access to care, cutting-edge medical technology and the highest quality physicians and staff.

We appreciate the broad support of the proposed transaction from the community, including from leading local health plans, physicians, employers and community leaders who believed that the two organizations together would have had an even greater impact on the care delivered to the communities we are privileged to serve.

---- Michael Ugwueke, CEO, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare