Grove City Medical Center and The Allegheny Health Network signed an affiliation agreement Monday. 

The goal of the agreement is to strengthen and expand the services that Grove City provides to residents of Mercer County and the surrounding region.

David Holmberg, Highmark Health President, and CEO said that the partnership would help the healthcare providers do unique things. 

"By partnering and partnering with people who have shared values, you can do some very unique things," Holmberg said. 

As part of the agreement, AHN and GCMC will help to fund a new independent Grove City Health Care Foundation with an initial endowment of up to $30 million to be spent locally.

A local board made up primarily of current GCMC board members, will oversee the allocation of those resources. 

AHN also said it is planning to invest an additional $40 million over the next ten years to further enhance GCMC's clinical programs, technological capabilities, and physical infrastructure. 

"In Allegheny Health Network and Highmark Health, we have chosen partners who are on the leading edge of health care's transformation to a value-driven model of care that places the best interests of patients and communities at the center of the equation," said Robert Jackson, CEO of Grove City Medical Center. "This affiliation is wonderful news for our many patients, families, and local employers who rely on the health services that Grove City provides in this community. Our future has never been brighter than it is today."

This merger is pending government approval.