(IRON MOUNTAIN, MI)–The Washington D.C.-based law firm Venable LLP will represent Dickinson County Healthcare System in its financial restructuring efforts while a full range of health services will continue, the hospital said in a news release Friday. A bankruptcy filing is not being considered at this point, DCHS said. “The goal of the restructuring efforts will be to maximize performance operationally and financially and to work with DCHS’s creditors for a lasting solution to the system’s financial challenges,” officials said. Venable is represented by Bart Stupak, the former Congressman for the Upper Peninsula, and restructuring partner Andrew Currie. Their focus will be to negotiate out of court with creditors. “DCHS looks forward to working with its various stakeholders , staff, professionals, patients and creditors, to grow and to continue to provide our community with the best quality health care services possible,” said Joe Rizzo, public relations manager. Friday’s announcement came a week after the hospital board approved a recommendation from attorney Michael Celello to contract with Venable at a cost of $150,000. Celello had been authorized to recruit a bankruptcy counsel to guide the hospital through a Chapter 11 filing, but he instead advocated a restructuring after conversations with Venable’s Stupak. DCHS officials announced Sept. 18 that a potential sale to Marquette-based UP Health System would no longer be pursued, saying they were unable to agree on terms. Talks with UP Health began after Green Bay-based Bellin Health withdrew in May from an acquisition agreement that was estimated at $61 million, all of which would have gone to pay the hospital’s long-term debt and unfunded pension liabilities. DCHS says it will continue to provide regular updates to the community.