New Hanover Co. to hold public hearing on future of hospital

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners will hold the first in a series of public hearings on the future of New Hanover Regional Medical Center on Tuesday, Oct. 15.

The event, which will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m., will be held at the Snipes Academy of Arts & Design at 2150 Chestnut Street.

In one of the most controversial decisions in recent memory, a divided New Hanover County Commission voted 3-2 on Sept. 16 to explore the sale of the county-owned hospital.

“The purpose of the public hearing is to receive comments related to the September 16 adoption by the Board of Commissioners of a resolution that will allow the county and New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) to accept proposals from other health systems and get more information to determine how best to secure the future of healthcare in the region,” county officials said in a news release. “All comments made will be part of the public record.”

A Partnership Advisory Group is being established. This group will “develop a request for proposals (RFP) based on the community’s priorities and evaluate the options going forward. Throughout the process, the group will report back to the public and the County Commissioners about their findings and recommendations,” according to the county.

Officials say this is the first in a series of hearings. After proposals have been submitted and initially reviewed, the county says they will be made public for the community to review.

After a public hearing on the proposals, more hearing will be held if it’s decided to move ahead with any of them.

The process is expected to take at least a year.

The county plans to livestream the hearing on Facebook here.

Hospital and county offices have put together a list of priorities for the the advisory group to consider. It can be found here.

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