At the introductory meeting of the New Hanover County and New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) Partnership Advisory Group on October 29, members selected the group’s co-chairs and vice co-chairs and received an overview of the work ahead.
Members voted for Spence Broadhurst and Barbara Biehner to serve as co-chairs and Joseph Pino, MD and Bill Cameron to serve as vice co-chairs. These leaders were chosen from a list of members who indicated a willingness to serve in these roles.
The meeting also included a discussion of the timeline of meetings, moving toward the request for proposals being finalized in December. In January and February, the group is expected to evaluate options for NHRMC remaining independent, and then begin reviewing the proposals that come back in March, preparing a recommendation on how to move forward around April. If this recommendation involves some sort of partnership with another organization, additional due diligence will be done over the next four to six months before an agreement goes to the NHRMC Board of Trustees and County Commissioners for approval.
The next two meetings of the Partnership Advisory Group will be November 13 and November 20, both taking place from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the New Hanover County Government Center, 230 Government Center Drive, in the Andre Mallete Training Room. The meetings are open to the public, but do not include a public comment period.
An email address has been created for the community to share feedback with the Partnership Advisory Group throughout this process. The public can email [email protected] with comments and questions.
The Partnership Advisory Group was established following the New Hanover County Commissioners’ September 16th approval of a resolution to begin a research phase to understand what options exist for NHRMC’s future. The group includes nine community members, five physicians, five members of NHRMC’s Board of Trustees, New Hanover County Manager Chris Coudriet and NHRMC President and CEO John Gizdic. More information, including a biography of each member, can be found at NHRMCfuture.org.
Information and presentations from the meetings will be shared at https://nhrmcfuture.org/stay-informed.