WILLMAR -- CentraCare Health is partnering with a Willmar hospital and a number of clinics serving western and southwestern Minnesota to create a new healthcare system for that area.

CentraCare, ACMC Health and Rice Memorial Hospital will combine resources to form Carris Health.

The agreement calls for Carris to be a subsidiary of CentraCare with employees at both Rice Memorial Hospital and ACMC Health to become employees of Carris Health. The city of Willmar will continue to own the hospital, but it will be run by Carris.

Carris Health will also make $32,000,000 in capital investments into Rice Memorial over the next 10 years.

The agreements are expected to be finalized in early 2018.

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