STEUBENVILLE — CommonSpirit Health and UPMC have signed a non-binding letter of intent to negotiate an agreement that would result in the integration of Trinity Health System into the UPMC system, officials with the hospitals announced Wednesday.

Trinity Health System and UPMC share a vision and commitment to extend and advance services for local patients and the community, officials said. For more than 20 years, physicians and other clinical staff at Trinity Health System and UPMC have collaborated in key areas to deliver high-quality, patient-centered care, including:

• A partnership in local cancer treatment which extends UPMC Hillman Cancer Center’s medical oncology services to the local community. This partnership has brought leading-edge cancer expertise and treatment to the area.

• Advanced orthopedic services, leveraging UPMC’s expertise to deliver specialized bone and joint care to the community.

When completed, the deal will be good for the city, Mayor Jerry Barilla explained.

“I’m really happy about it happening. I think it’s a win-win situation for the city of Steubenville — we’re so close to Pittsburgh, getting connected with UPMC would be advantageous for us here. I see it as a great thing for Steubenville,” Barilla said Wednesday afternoon.

Current facilities operated by Trinity include Trinity Medical Center West, Trinity Medical Center East, Trinity Hospital Twin City in Dennison and the Trinity Health System St. Clairsville Neighborhood Hospital that opened in August. In addition, Trinity operates Express Care urgent care facilities in Wintersville and Cadiz.

Earlier this year, Chicago-based CommonSpirit Health and Trinity leadership initiated a search to identify a regional health system that could enhance the services and clinical offerings of Trinity Health System. The intent is to keep high-quality health care sustainable and locally available for today and future generations, hospital officials said.

“As Trinity Health System and UPMC move forward with the process, including a customary due diligence period and regulatory review, we will keep our stakeholders and community updated of key developments,” UPMC spokeswoman Susan Manko said in a statement, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

During the next several months, the entities will engage in discussions to work toward a definitive agreement, pending customary regulatory review and approvals. Trinity Health System and UPMC leaders hope to complete the affiliation as soon as possible, Trinity officials explained Wednesday.

Wednesday’s announcement has been anticipated since late September, when a story first reported by the Post-Gazette said UPMC was negotiating to buy Trinity. It comes a little more than one year since Trinity completed work on its 88-room, $75 million tower project on its West campus.

Barilla said with the city sitting just a 45-minute drive from UPMC’s Pittsburgh base and easy access using U.S. Route 22 and Interstate 376, in addition to UPMC’s national and worldwide reputation for providing top-quality care, it makes the potential deal a very good one for local residents.

“This is the right fit for us — the highway makes it much more convenient for them to be located here,” Barilla said. “They have a great reputation. I’m glad to be hooked up with them — we’ll be connected with one of the top medical providers.”

Terms of the proposed deal were not available, but UPMC’s acquisition of Trinity would mark its first expansion into Ohio, earlier reports indicated.

Manko said UPMC was not able to offer any further comment when contacted Wednesday afternoon.

A final deal between UPMC and Trinity would be the latest change to health care in the Tri-State Area. On Jan. 27, Weirton Medical Center became a full member of the West Virginia University Health System. That facility, located on Colliers Way, has been rebranded as WVU Medicine-Weirton Medical Center.