New Hanover County and New Hanover Regional Medical Center have established the Partnership Advisory Group to get more community involvement in the process of evaluating how to best secure the future of healthcare in the region.
The Partnership Advisory Group was created following the New Hanover County Commissioner’s September 16th approval of a resolution to begin a research phase to understand what options exist for NHRMC, including a potential sale, other partnerships and models, and an evaluation of options for NHRMC to remain county owned.
Membership includes nine community members appointed by County Manager Chris Coudriet and NHRMC President and CEO John Gizdic, five physicians selected by NHRMC medical staff leadership, and five members of NHRMC’s Board of Trustees selected by the trustees. Coudriet and Gizdic will serve as co-chairs of the committee.
Membership includes representatives with experience in various sectors, including nonprofit, business, faith, finance and nursing, in addition to physicians with different specialties.
“Members were selected to represent a diversity of thought and a range of backgrounds,” Gizdic said. “What they have in common is a desire to choose the best path forward.”
Gizdic said it was a priority to have equal representation on the Partnership Advisory Group between physicians and hospital trustees. “The community will benefit from their knowledge and insight,” Gizdic said.
The Partnership Advisory Group will help develop priorities for the Request for Proposal (RFP), select a minimum of five health systems that will receive the RFP, evaluate the proposals received and examine the options for maintaining county ownership. The advisory group will then provide a recommendation on next steps to the Board of Commissioners and NHRMC Board of Trustees. A recommendation could include negotiating with one or more systems regarding proposals or pursuing other ways to support NHRMC as a county-owned hospital.
“This process, which will likely take a year or more, will include thorough research and open, public discussions,” Coudriet said. “We appreciate the advisory group’s commitment to help with this important effort and their significant time commitment on behalf of the citizens and their elected representatives.”
Advisory members will be in attendance at New Hanover County’s public hearings, which will be held throughout the process, including a hearing from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 15 in the auditorium at Snipes Academy of Arts & Design, 2150 Chestnut St., Wilmington. The group will also be briefing County Commissioners and NHRMC Trustees to keep them informed throughout the process.
Below is a list of the advisory group members. For biographies and more information on each member, visit NHRMCFuture.org.
Community Members
Virginia Adams, PhD, RN
Spence Broadhurst
Evelyn Bryant
Bill Cameron
Robert Campbell
Cedric Dickerson
Jack Fuller
Hannah Gage
Meade Van Pelt
Physicians
Sandra Hall, MD
Chuck Kays, MD
Michael Papagikos, MD
Joseph Pino, MD
Mary Rudyk, MD
Trustees
Barb Biehner
Brian Eckel
Tony McGhee
Jason Thompson
David Williams
Co-chairs
John Gizdic
Chris Coudriet