Washington state health officials have approved the sale of Spokane’s Empire Health Services to a large national hospital company.

The announcement clears the regulatory hurdles for the $156 million deal to close this fall.

The buyer, Community Health Systems Inc., plans to spend $100 million over the next five years upgrading buildings, medical equipment and computer systems at Deaconess Medical Center and Valley Hospital and Medical Center. Backers of the sale anticipate the improvements will help Deaconess return to competitiveness with Sacred Heart Medical Center, which has become the dominant health care provider in Eastern Washington.

The Deaconess sale also creates the region’s largest charitable foundation. The estimated $80 million foundation is envisioned as a grant-making trust that will help address health care access and other medical issues. (Spokesman Review)