Mergers of Public Health Departments with public hospitals in urban areas: findings of 12 field studies.

Twelve urban centers were visited to study firsthand the organizational relationship between the local public health department and the local public general hospital. The particular focus was on mergers between these two agencies into a single health services agency. Some of the places visited had merged agencies and some did not. The objective was to determine the motivations, outcomes and implementation process of these mergers. The findings are presented and the implications for public policy are analyzed.