The leader of eastern North Carolina’s largest health system was in Washington this week, telling federal lawmakers that rural America is being left behind by current healthcare policies. Dr. Michael Waldrum, the CEO of ECU Health, testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, urging Congress to abandon "one size fits all" solutions.
It was noted that physician education takes far longer to complete in the U.S. than in many European nations, and Waldrum told the committee that the Brody School of Medicine has taken steps to get medical workers in the field more quickly.
“We have one of the lowest debt rates coming out," he said, "We've structured our pipeline to increase the yield for primary care and for rural environments. We've had investment in rural residency training programs, and we can show a direct return to those communities with over 70% retention.”
Waldrum also pointed out that if eastern North Carolina were its own state, it would rank among the poorest and sickest in the country. He argued that rural hospitals face unique structural challenges—like workforce shortages and aging populations—that urban centers simply don't deal with. Waldrum warned that when profit-driven systems leave rural areas, nonprofit safety nets like ECU Health are left to pick up the pieces.
He asked policymakers to create targeted support for rural providers to prevent further hospital closures and ensure that a patient’s zip code doesn't determine their quality of care. ECU Health currently serves nearly one-and-a-half million people across twenty-nine counties, and Waldrum says federal partnership is essential to keeping those services affordable and accessible.
Read Waldrum's full testimony HERE.
