photo by: Contributed

LMH Health's main campus at 325 Maine St.

Updated at 4:33 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.

LMH Health has become one of five Kansas health systems joining together to form a new regional healthcare alliance designed to improve patient care and create more affordable healthcare options for communities.

The healthcare collaboration was dubbed Astra Health, and it includes LMH Health, Amberwell Health, Salina Regional Health Center, Newman Regional Health and The University of Kansas Health System. The partnership is aiming to improve clinical outcomes, strengthen access to care and deliver more affordable healthcare options for people living in Kansas, according to a press release from LMH Health.

“Healthcare is changing rapidly, and no organization can solve today’s challenges alone,” Shelly Kortkamp, president and CEO of LMH Health, said in the release. “Astra Health allows independent health systems to collaborate in ways that improve quality, expand access to specialty expertise, reduce unnecessary costs, and keep care in the communities we proudly serve.”

LMH Health is a community-owned, nonprofit hospital with longstanding legal ties to the City of Lawrence. The mayor appoints its governing board, subject to City Commission confirmation, but the hospital’s Board of Trustees independently controls LMH’s operations and management.

Autumn Bishop, the hospital’s strategic communications manager, said that the new Astra Health collaboration will not change LMH’s ownership structure. In addition, LMH Health is not intending to merge with any of the other health systems, Bishop said.

“This collaboration does not change LMH Health’s independence, local governance or commitment to our community,” Bishop said via email. “One of the tenets of this initiative is that each participating organization will keep its own identity and remain independent while working together on initiatives that benefit patients across the region.”

According to the release, Astra Health will work to:

• Make it easier for patients in communities to access specialists and advanced care.

• Allow patients to receive more of their treatment in their own communities rather than traveling elsewhere.

• Share clinical knowledge, data and strategies for improving care.

• Reduce healthcare costs by coordinating services.

• Create healthcare plans that employers can offer directly to their workers, potentially at lower costs.

LMH Health entered a strategic clinical relationship with the KU Health System in 2023, and that arrangement has resulted in clinical partnerships that have increased local access to specialty care like vascular surgery and maternal/fetal medicine.

“Astra Health does not change the existing relationship with The University of Kansas Health System; it’s just another example of LMH Health’s efforts to build regional relationships that expand access close to home,” Bishop said via email.

The partnership intends to build on LMH Health’s strong regional partnerships and provide another way to collaborate with other health systems across Kansas. These health systems can combine resources and expertise to create new opportunities for rural healthcare providers and help ensure strong, high-quality healthcare remains available in rural communities.

“We are excited about this partnership and what it will mean for our communities, and we look forward to sharing more information in the months ahead,” Kortkamp said in the release.