BLOUNT COUNTY, Tenn. -- Blount Memorial Hospital has officially joined Prisma Health, a South Carolina-based nonprofit healthcare group

The transition, which was finalized this week, comes after the Blount County Commission unanimously approved a resolution in November allowing Prisma Health to take over the management and operations of Blount Memorial Hospital.

The resolution said the agreement came after the hospital's board of directors decided it was "in the best interests of the citizens of Blount County and the cities therein" for Prisma Health to take over operations. According to the resolution, Prisma Health would become the sole member of Blount Memorial Health Inc., a body formed to manage the hospital's assets and finances.

Jonathan Smith, the interim CEO of Blount Memorial Hospital, said the partnership with Prisma Health would expand the hospital's resources and improve health outcomes for patients.

Blount Memorial Hospital previously faced financial straits, having to take steps like selling real estate to make debt payments and stay operational. The budgetary concerns were central in a nearly two-year dispute over control of the hospital's future between Blount Memorial and the Blount County Commission. Those disputes were settled early this year, but the hospital still sought ways to stay solvent.

The partnership with Prisma Health marks the South Carolina health system's first venture out of the state. It operates 18 hospitals and dozens of other healthcare facilities and is the largest such organization in the state.