NHRMC

This Morning New Hanover County Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Partnership Advisory Group’s recommendation to focus on three potential partners for New Hanover Regional Medical Center: Atrium Health, Duke Health and Novant Health.  The vote came after some spirited debate. 

UPDATED MONDAY 10:30 am. On Monday morning, New Hanover County Commissioners voted unanimously to allow the PAG to move forward in studying three medical center proposals.  A June 22 public hearing was also scheduled.

Last week the hospital’s Board of Trustees voted in favor of that move.

The novel Coronavirus is infecting and killing black Americans at disproportionately high rates.   That’s according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention.  

In North Carolina today, people of color face inequities that affect their health and their vulnerability to diseases like Covid-19.  CDC and North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services data show that minorities now represent a disproportionate number of both Covid-19 cases and fatalities.  Social factors and implicit bias play a significant role. 

At its Thursday meeting, the Partnership Advisory Group, charged with recommending a future for New Hanover Regional Medical Center, narrowed its focus from the six submitted proposals to three it believes are worth further consideration.  

Covid-19 is hitting people of color, especially African American communities, much harder than white communities.  The impact shows up as both a higher percentage of positive cases and a higher number of deaths from the disease.  But there’s also a different kind of price that people of color are likely to pay.

Six proposals were made public last week regarding the future of New Hanover Regional Medical Center. A group opposed to selling the facility, Save Our Hospital, did not like what it saw.  WHQR’s Vince Winkel spoke with the organization’s President, Gene Merritt.

On Tuesday New Hanover County published online the six proposals it received regarding the possible future of New Hanover Regional Medical Center. County Commissioners are slated to decide on one of the proposals, or not, later this year. The proposals range from $1.25 to over $3 billion.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reports that based on available data, pregnant women are not at an increased risk for the novel coronavirus. But for those women who do contract the disease, only about 4 to 5% become severely ill. WHQR reports on how local OB/GYNs are handling patients during the pandemic.

The group charged with determining the future of the New Hanover Regional Medical Center is getting back to work. The last three meetings had been cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thursday  the Partnership Advisory Group gets back together, but in a virtual way. 

Coronavirus Edition #2.  So much has changed in a week.  Many more people are working from home – or not working at all.  North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has lowered the threshold for mass gatherings from 100 to 50.  He’s ordered more business closures – gyms, movie theaters, salons.  He’s extended public school closures to May 15th. 

Widespread testing for COVID-19 is a strategy that works in the first phase of a pandemic – containment.  But that’s not where North Carolina health officials are now.  WHQR speaks with New Hanover Regional Medical Center Epidemiologist Dr. Paul Kamitsuka about what this mitigation phase means. 

The New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s Physician Group has implemented some operational changes to protect patients, staff, and the community during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The deadline for proposals for the future of New Hanover Regional Medical Center was yesterday. Six organizations submitted their pitches. Now the County’s Partnership Advisory Group will start the review process. WHQR’s Vince Winkel sat down with Medical Center President and CEO John Gizdic, to discuss the range of options being considered for the future.

Two weeks from this coming Monday, proposals for a sale, partnership or merger with New Hanover Regional Medical Center are due. The Partnership Advisory Group, a team assembled by the County to explore the future of NHRMC, will then begin the process of going through hundreds of pages sent in from interested parties. Almost a dozen organizations may be interested in some sort of arrangement.

New Hanover Regional Medical Center is the third-largest county-owned hospital in the country.  As medical costs continue to rise and political and financial uncertainties loom, NHRMC is exploring the best path forward – whether that’s a sale, a merger, or a reorganization.  On this week’s CoastLine, we explored the process.

New Hanover Regional Medical Center is exploring whether to sell, create a partnership, reorganize, or remain independent.  

The clock is ticking for almost a dozen health care organizations, who have expressed interest in a possible merger with - or purchase of - New Hanover Regional Medical Center. They have until March 16 to get their proposals in.

Nine healthcare organizations have signed non-disclosure agreements with New Hanover County – meaning they are serious about exploring the purchase of, or merger with the New Hanover Regional Medical Center. Last night, the Partnership Advisory Group – PAG – held its 8th public meeting on the topic. 

Women Organizing For Wilmington, known as WOW, demonstrated downtown on Monday in opposition to the sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center.  Some in the group insist that a deal has already been made.

The New Hanover County’s Partnership Advisory Group announced at their January 23 meeting that 18 organizations have expressed interest in exploring a possible merger or purchase of New Hanover Regional Medical Center. 

The ‘Save Our Hospital’ group held its first public meeting Tuesday evening at the Northeast Branch Library. A standing room only crowd listened to speakers explain why they are opposed to the possible sale or merger of the New Hanover Regional Medical Center. 

The Partnership Advisory Group – the committee exploring the future of New Hanover Regional Medical Center – held its first meeting of 2020 on Jan. 9. Since October, the group chartered by the County has been considering whether the hospital should remain independent, be sold or enter a partnership with another health system. The PAG has finished its Request For Proposals and is now moving forward.

The Partnership Advisory Group – the team exploring options for the future of New Hanover Regional Medical Center – held its final public meeting of 2019 on December 19.  The group is making progress, but still months away from any formal recommendation.

The impeachment proceedings on Capitol Hill, new indicators of a warming climate, the battle over a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico, the handling of migrants who’ve crossed the border, what will happen in the 2020 race for the White House:  these are all, arguably, worth discussion as the big stories of 2019.  But a great deal happened that impacts quality of life for residents in southeastern North Carolina.   

New Hanover County’s Partnership Advisory Group (PAG), charged with evaluating the future of the Regional Medical Center, has released its meeting schedule for the next five months. The PAG held its third public meeting last night.

The potential sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center appears to have a new roadblock. It’s a nonprofit corporation launched today called, “Save Our Hospital.” The organization is not in favor of selling the healthcare system.

This week the Partnership Advisory Group – that’s the group in charge of exploring the future of New Hanover Regional Medical Center – held its second public meeting. It was a class on the new landscape of the healthcare industry.

New Hanover County Commissioners held their first public hearing on the future of New Hanover Regional Medical Center. About 100 people attended the hearing at Snipes Academy yesterday.

The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, in a 3 – 2 split vote, have moved to pursue the possible sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center. That means the largest employer in the county, a healthcare system that serves seven counties, could soon be on the market.