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Sonya,
Our community hospital, once a beacon of quality care for our entire region, is now in crisis. Novant Health (formerly New Hanover Regional Medical Center) was recently downgraded from a B to a C by Leapfrog, an independent national nonprofit that assesses hospital safety and quality. Additionally, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently ranked Novant/ NHRMC in the bottom 30% of hospitals (2,847) nationwide.
This decline is unacceptable.
Remember:
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The New Hanover County Commission voted to sell our hospital despite overwhelming public opposition.
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$1.3 billion from the sale created the New Hanover Community Endowment, structured as a private entity by NHC Commissioners to avoid public oversight.
The hypocrisy is astounding. The tragedy? Our community’s healthcare is deteriorating before our eyes while the Endowment’s leadership makes decisions that seem more political than philanthropic. The hiring of an inexperienced CEO is only the latest example.
We deserve better. HEAL believes Novant’s healthcare issues and the Endowment’s governance have several parallel issues, including patterns of mismanagement, a lack of transparency, and prioritizing corporate interests over public health. This is why we’re expanding our focus to spotlight these issues and fight for accountability.
What needs to happen:
- Novant must clean up its act and honor its promises. An “independent monitor” appointed by New Hanover County is needed to restore quality care and the public’s trust.
- A stronger healthcare entity should step in if Novant cannot deliver.
- Or, New Hanover County must reclaim our hospital to restore the quality of care we deserve.
Supporting groups like the Five Star Project, founded by Jon Martell, helps us expose the link between Novant Health's declining care and the management of NH Community Endowment funds (the Endowment’s largest grant to date, $21million+, funds a nursing pipeline that will arguably remedy a nursing crisis largely a result of Novant’s own making). Martell is a retired hospital chief medical officer (CMO) with 40 years of experience, who, after a minor operation at Novant, experienced firsthand Novant’s troubling decline in care with near-catastrophic results. His mission is clear: to address these critical failures.
I urge you to read his resolution, presented during public comments at the November 18 NHC Commissioners meeting, which outlines actionable solutions. By working together, we can amplify voices demanding accountability and ensure these critical resources serve the community’s best interests.
Stay engaged—your voice matters now more than ever.
In solidarity,
Harper Peterson
Chairman, Heal Our People's Endowment
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