Community welcomes UPMC Trinity
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STEUBENVILLE -- For John Surma, Monday’s celebration of the transition from Trinity Health System to UPMC was something he was long prepared for.
The chairman of the UPMC board explained when he became a staff auditor at the accounting firm of Price Waterhouse, his first client was the former Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp. and his first assignment in August 1976 was in Follansbee.
“I spent several years thereafter throughout the Ohio Valley,” he said while speaking in the lobby area of UPMC Trinity. “I knew state Routes 2 and 7 very well -- Beech Bottom, Benwood, Martins Ferry, Yorkville and, of course, Steubenville.
“Occasionally, along the way, I’d stop at Coleman’s Fish Market in Wheeling and Don’s Restaurant, which, sadly, is no longer here. I’m still very well acquainted with Naples, and there’s just a chance on the way home today I might stop there for a meatball heel,” he added.
Connections -- with the city’s famous North Street Italian restaurant, the community and with the past -- as well as plans for the future, were discussed during the event, which brought officials from UPMC, staff members, local elected officials and community members together to welcome UPMC Trinity.
“An acquisition like this is about much more than a change in ownership,” said Dwayne Richardson, interim president of UPMC Trinity. “It is about the opportunities we create for our patients, our employees, our physicians and the communities we are privileged to serve. For generations, this organization has been built on something that cannot be bought or transferred on a balance sheet -- the dedication of our people.”
The transfer became official on Oct. 1, a little more than year after reports surfaced on Sept. 22, 2025, that UPMC and Trinity’s parent, Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health, had been involved in talks to negotiate a sale. A nonbinding letter of intent was signed on Oct. 15, 2025, and a definitive agreement was reached on May 4.
That deal, which included Trinity East and West in Steubenville, Trinity St. Clairsville Neighborhood Hospital, Twin City Medical Center in Dennison and other facilities, was arrived at after extensive and thoughtful discussions, Surma said.
“That was followed by a deeper discussion about how that would finalize a structure that would fully align with the shared vision of Trinity and UPMC. And that vision is to provide local, high-quality, sustainable health care for residents across this great Ohio Valley region. With all of that accomplished, we are here today, one year later, as we welcome UPMC Trinity as an essential part of UPMC’s mission to deliver life-changing medicine to everyone.”
Trinity, which was created in 1996 through the merger of St. John Medical Center and Ohio Valley Hospital, had a history that stretched back to 1901, when Gill Memorial Hospital opened in the city’s North End. It was operated by the Kings Daughters until the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania took over in 1931. St. John was built in 1960 on Johnson Road.
The hospital which become Ohio Valley was started in 1912 by Dohrman Sinclair. Its Pleasant Heights location opened in 1917.
Trinity operated under the sponsorship of the Sisters of St. Francis until 2014, when the system’s Catholic entities were transferred to Catholic Health Initiatives, which, in 2019, merged with Dignity Health to become CommonSpirit Health.
While UPMC Trinity will no longer be affiliated with the Catholic church, it’s commitment to keeping faith as part of its healing mission will remain.
“We went through the alienation process with the Vatican in Rome,” Richardson said after the event. “So, although the organization is no longer officially Catholic, we are still keeping our Catholic heritage.”
Several of the speakers thanked the sisters for their efforts to bring health care to the region and their commitment to the community. They included Dr. Matt Colflesh, chief medical officer at UPMC Trinity.
“I always try to make sure that I pay respect to the sisters. They were our first providers in the hospital,” Colflesh said. “They built hospitals all over the country just because we needed them. So, we always try to remind ourselves that they were truly selfless and courageous women who really built our hospital system, and that’s the foundation of our system.”
Colflesh added that Trinity’s residency program, which includes 54 medical residents, would be a part of UPMC.
“We know how much you care about your patients and this community,” said Leslie Davis, UPMC’s president and CEO. “We share that commitment, and that’s why we are honored and excited to build upon this legacy of great care and great community care together. That work will start with listening. We will work closely with Trinity leaders, with employees, with clinicians and with community partners to really understand what this region needs, so that we can decide on these priorities together.
She said for more than 20 years, UPMC and Trinity had been working together to bring high-quality, patient-centered care to the region. That includes cancer treatment through UPMC Hillman and advanced orthopedics. UPMC’s STAT MedEvac also has a base at the Jefferson County Airpark in Wintersville.
“We also have an opportunity to bring more specialty services closer to home,” Davis said. “Right now, dozens of patients, every day, travel to Pittsburgh for care and advanced treatment. Immediately, two out of three patients who need a higher level of care from this region are transferred to UPMC Presbyterian, Mercy, McGee and Children’s. So, we want to make those connections even stronger by making sure patients who need access to Pittsburgh can get it, and that we can create the right level of services here so patients can stay closer to home.”
She added they will be exploring opportunities in emergency medicine, womens health, neurology, rehabilitation and other specialties. They will also be making investments to retain and recruit nurses, doctors and team members.
Doug Schaefer, chairman of the Trinity board, said his family has called Steubenville home for five generations and has been served by the hospitals providing the foundation for UPMC Trinity, adding his children and future generations would benefit from having world-class care close to home.
State Rep. Jodi Salvo, R-Bolivar, whose district includes UPMC Twin City, said she was excited about the opportunities UPMC’s expertise and resources would present the communities she represents.
Steubenville Mayor Ralph Petrella called the transition a pivotal moment in the city’s history.
“We are taking a major step forward, strengthening our identity as a regional hub for higher education and world-class health care,” he said. “When people look at Steubenville, they will see a city that prioritizes the health and well-being of our citizens. By integrating UPMC into our community, we are just not providing jobs -- we are building an ecosystem where education and medical excellence go hand-in-hand to improve our quality of life.”
Jefferson County Commissioners Tony Morelli and Eric Timmons said after the presentation the move was good for the community.
“It’s definitely a notch in our belt,” Morelli said. “Their corporate headquarters are less than an hour from Steubenville. It makes it seem to be a little more connected. When I’ve had questions before, and was looking for answers on a few things, I was waiting for someone in Denver or California to get back to me. I think this truly makes it hometown.”
“There are a lot of good things going on right now, and a lot of people who are excited out there. Local labor is excited. There are a lot of good things coming down the road, and this is just the start of it.”
For Richardson, the name of the hospital might have been changed, but its goal has not.
“Our mission remain simple: To serve our community and provide exceptional care, to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the people who walk through our doors, to improve people and to shape the future of our health care.”