PHOENIX, AZ / ACCESS Newswire / July 9, 2026 / Emergency Care Partners (ECP), the nation's largest single specialty provider of emergency medicine physician services, today announced a new strategic partnership with Empower Emergency Physicians, a premier independent emergency medicine group based in the Phoenix Metropolitan area.
Founded in 2003, Empower Emergency Physicians serves as the exclusive emergency medicine services provider for Dignity Health CommonSpirit's St. Joseph's Hospitals, including: St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, St. Joseph's Westgate Medical Center, and freestanding emergency rooms: St. Joseph's Glendale Medical Center, and St. Joseph's Litchfield Park Medical Center. Collectively, the group's clinicians treat more than 112,000 emergency department visits annually.
This partnership further expands ECP's clinical network and strengthens its presence in the Southwest, continuing its model of collaborating with physician-owned groups to provide world-class clinical, operational, and financial support while maintaining local leadership and physician independence.
Dr. LaFrabya "Taka" Mitchem-Westbrook, Group President, will lead the organization and continue to oversee Empower Emergency Physicians' clinical, operational, and financial performance. Dr. Mitchem-Westbrook and her physician partners will continue to serve in key leadership capacities within Dignity.
"Empower has a long-standing reputation for clinical excellence and deep roots in the Phoenix community," said Bill Yarbrough, Chief Executive Officer of ECP. "We are thrilled to partner with Dr. Mitchem-Westbrook and her team to support their continued growth and commitment to high-quality patient care across their partner hospitals."
"By joining Emergency Care Partners, Empower adds enhanced resources and a robust infrastructure for our group that will allow us to further elevate our services," said Dr. Mitchem-Westbrook. "We look forward to leveraging ECP's expertise, while maintaining our physician-led culture and our dedication to the patients and hospitals we have served since 2003."
This partnership expands ECP's clinical footprint to more than 1.7 million patient encounters annually across ten states.
About Emergency Care Partners (ECP)
Headquartered in Pensacola, Florida, ECP is the largest single-specialty provider of emergency medicine and emergency department management services for hospitals in the United States. With current operations in Arizona, Ohio, Florida, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, and Vermont, ECP serves over 1.7 million patients annually across operations at 70+ sites of service. The company has a clinical workforce of more than 1,200+ physicians and advanced practice providers. ECP utilizes a differentiated model relative to other groups in the emergency medicine space, highlighted by its ability to maintain ownership through a physician partnership model, with physicians comprising the majority of shareholders. For more information, visit www.ecp.net.
About Varsity Healthcare Partners
Varsity Healthcare Partners (VHP) is a lower middle-market private equity investment firm focused on partnering with founders, entrepreneurs, and management teams to build leading healthcare services companies. VHP's tactical investment strategy emphasizes identifying and transacting with growth-seeking, provider- or founder-owned companies, leveraging VHP's developed "buy and build" playbook to drive significant operational, managerial enhancements early in the life of each platform investment, followed by a well-resourced aggressive and multidimensional growth plan. VHP's unique tactical investment playbook and strong track record are complemented by VHP's distinct organizational culture, emphasizing highly collaborative engagement, strong professional accountability, and a commitment to excellence in work product and team performance.
For more information, please visit www.varsityhealthcarepartners.com.
About Regal Healthcare Capital Partners
Regal Healthcare Capital Partners ("Regal") is a New York-based private equity firm focused exclusively on lower-middle market healthcare services companies. Regal seeks to partner with healthcare entrepreneurs across the United States, with a focus on providing high-quality, accessible, and convenient care to all patients. Regal targets equity investments of ~$75 million in each opportunity, with target investments generally ranging in size from $20-$100 million of revenue and $2-$10 million of EBITDA.
Media Contact: Kacie Hackel, Director of Marketing, Kacie.Hackel@ecp.net
SOURCE: Emergency Care Partners (ECP)
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