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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-09-28 SM ExhibitsExhibit ` Book Page SEPTEMBER 28, 2020 PUBLIC HEARING PUBLIC COMMENTS SUBMITTED BY 6PM ON SEPTEMBER 27, 2020 VIA EMAIL TOTAL: 16 Crowell, Kym From: Brittany Earp <Brittany.Earp@nhrmc.org> Sent: Friday, September 18, 2020 11:29 PM To: Comments Subject: Novant To whom it may concern, On behalf of NHRMC's ownership, I would like to suggest that monopolization is not best. We need competition! There are many options to choose from and many are better. Perhaps we could even stay locally owned by the county if we could afford it. Thank you for your consideration, Brittany Earp, CST Crowell, Kym From: marionhewett@ymail.com Sent: Sunday, September 20, 2020 2:11 AM To: Comments Its a shame nhc is doing this. It was buit by the people. so anyone needing health care would receive it. Regardless of the ability to pay. You should be ashamed Crowell, Kym From: Maryanne Walsh <maryannewalsh5l @hotmail.com> Sent: Tuesday, September 22, 2020 6:15 PM To: Comments Subject: NHRMC Sale Dear sirs, I found Mr Zapple's comments in the Star News today 9/22/20 to be both cogent and alarming. I have spent my life in health care, and many years at NHRMC . I have been distressed since the outset of this proposal of sale about the fact that was entered into with no public imput or referendum. The fact that it has proceeded at lightening like speed in the middle of a pandemic and an election year seems ill advised at the very least. Conveniently, this public meeting concerning the proposal occurs when very few people can convene because of social distancing. This is not how to deal with the disposition of one of the counties prize assets and smacks of the appearance of corruption, if not the fact of it. Since there has been little transparency over the details of the disposition of property, pensions, performance, etc. I urge less haste, and more light in this matter. b Sent from Mail for Windows 10 Crowell, Kym From: mwsmithh@aol.com Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2020 10:39 AM To: County Commissioners Cc: ccoudriet@nhcgov.com <ccoudriet@nhcgov.com>; PAGcomments@nhcgov.com < PAGcom ments@ nhcgov.com> Subject: Retiree Pension Benefit Concerns In Light of Proposed Sale of NHRMC Dear Commission Members, I spent over 30 years of my nursing career with New Hanover Regional Medical Center, with many of those years performing as a CRNA. I loved my patient interactions and was proud of providing a high quality service up until the last day of my employment. When looking toward retirement and our best pension payout options my wife and I sought the advice of a Financial Planner (FP). We determined that taking my pension as a monthly annuity made the most sense for us. This option was strongly advised by our FP as a good financial strategy that he deemed extremely low risk., Low risk in that my employer would not likely default on the promised benefits. His point was that NHRMC, a reputable facility, was owned by the County and that the County almost certainly would not fail to fulfill its pension promises to the NHRMC employees, its own County residents. In August 2019, 1 received a letter from NHRMC regarding the fact that consideration was being given to proposals for "partnering". The letter stated "We understand that you may have questions about what this process means for your pension benefits if there is a change of ownership structure at NHRMC. As a retiree who is currently receiving a pension benefit, you can be assured that it is safe and secure and you can expect to receive your monthly recurring benefit. NHRMC defined pension plan monies are placed in a separate account to be solely used for pension benefits and a change in ownership would not affect these funds". I am in my 4thyear of retirement and I have a joint and survivor annuity. This means that I am to receive a stated/guaranteed monthly benefit for life, as is my wife in the event of my death. I am unclear about how my pension benefits will be secured with the sale of the hospital. What does the above letter mean that "pension plan monies are placed in a separate account"? What is this account, with whom? Who oversees/will oversee this account? How can I be assured that the account is funded to really guarantee "lifetime benefits at the level promised"? I have attempted to get such information from NHRMC's HR department but have received no return calls (which has been reported to me by other employees as well), which contributes to my insecurity regarding this issue. In discussions regarding the proceeds that the County will receive and noted in Exhibit C: Use of Net Proceeds which is part of the proposed Asset Purchase Agreement, a figure of "approximately" $200million has been cited for "addressing transition stabilization initiatives ...including but not limited to: 1.(b)i A Team Investment and Resiliency Fund providing funds necessary to (1) administer NHRMC's existing pension plan following its transfer to the County, (2) provide for certain payments to be made, over time, to affected NHRMC employees to mitigate adverse impacts associated with such employees' transition from NHRMC's existing pension plan to Buyer's retirement benefits plan, (3) provide stabilization payments for NHRMC employees to facilitate the transition of the Business from Sellers to Buyer, and (4) address the staff and provider resiliency funding needs of the organization. If retiree pension benefits, as well as benefits for current employees and other items noted under this section are contributing to this $200 million figure this number is likely insufficient. The Use of Net Proceeds document also states that the reserve fund would be established and controlled by the "successor" to NHRMC. Is this Novant? If so, please explain 1.(b)i(1) citing fund transfer to the County. hope that you can clearly and concisely respond to my questions and reduce the anxiety that this issue produces. I am only one retired employee of many who I am sure would appreciate this clarity as well. Sincerely Michael W Smith 910-200-5546 211 South 2nd Street Wilmington, NC 28401 Crowell, Kym From: Rachel Hayworth <Rachel.Hayworth@nhrmc.org> Sent: Thursday, September 24, 2020 11:00 AM To: Comments Cc: Gray Boone Subject: NHRMC-Novant Partnership As a nurse leader employed by NHRMC who sees first hand the amount of work that really needs to be done to "lead our community to outstanding health," I fully support the proposed partnership with Novant Health and UNC School of Medicine! With shared resources, increased financial support, and academic experiences, we all really will be better together, and our community is who will benefit most from this. I know I speak for many others when I say we're here to provide the same great care to you and your family members regardless of the company that signs our paychecks! lzacheL HfRUWorth, MSN, RN, CHFN Heart Failure Program Manager New Hanover Regional Medical Center Wilmington, NC Office: 910-667-4426 Mobile: 910-515-1765 Crowell, Kym From: Sent: To: Subject: Dear NH County Commissioners, Christy Spivey <Christy.Spivey@nhrmc.org> Thursday, September 24, 2020 3:17 PM Comments Public Comments NHRMC/Novant Definitive Agreement I'd like to express my support of the proposed definitive agreement for the sale of NHRMC to Novant, and I respectfully ask that you vote yes to move forward with this vital next step. The extensive and thorough efforts of the PAG have revealed the reality and necessity to partner with the right health system to meet the expanding health needs in our region; needs in which we are challenged in meeting across the care continuum. With half of the system's patients coming from outside of NH County, this issue has far reaching impacts. From an acute care perspective, as the only tertiary care center serving the entire rural southeastern area of NC, NHRMC provides specialty care and services that citizens would have to travel more than two hours away to receive otherwise. NHRMC's role in providing acute specialized care saves lives every day — stroke, trauma, MI, acute surgery, maternal/fetal, sepsis, and many more. But in order to maintain or advance these specialties, the hospital requires resources — staff, space, equipment, education, technology to name a few. Unfortunately, with the growth of the population served, NHRMC will not be able to keep up with the demand based on current resources. Patients often wait hours or even days, in smaller community hospitals, waiting to be transferred to NHRMC for specialty care. Some of these end up having to be transferred even further away because NHRMC's beds are full. This delays care, and takes the patient and family farther away from home, making recovery difficult and follow up a challenge. With this partnership, services could be expanded in the region, possibly preventing the urgent need to transfer patients. And with expanded resources at the tertiary center main campus, the region could continue to count on these much needed services. This agreement outlines programs and resources that will support advancing acute care. In considering access to sub -acute and outpatient care there are many opportunities, particularly in the region's most vulnerable and underserved populations. Across the region, health disparity is noted not only in race, gender, ethnicity, and income, but also in geography. Unique to our region, is the growing economic divide between those who live along the coast and benefit from a different economy and higher incomes, versus those in the more rural western areas of our region, with lower incomes, and less opportunity. Growth and expansion would mean jobs and opportunity for citizens. It would mean new educational opportunities, and access to care. A partnership with Novant would leverage technology and health equity programs that would elevate the wellbeing of all across this region. For patients who need care at home or who are reintegrating after a major illness or injury, post -acute and long term care options are a challenge. With Novant, NHRMC could expand innovative programs to support aging in place, care at home, prevention, tele -health, and care of the whole person (mind, body, and spirit). Quality of life, in every stage of life, could be elevated, life spans (including years of life disparities) could be improved, and citizens could prosper and contribute to society far longer than in our current state. In my daily work, I have the privilege of collaborating with other hospitals, physicians, clinics, and many other agencies across the region. As a nurse, I've see firsthand the gaps in the health continuum that prevent us from being able to not only meet identified needs, but to prevent disease and illness. We are falling behind as more people move to the area, chronic diseases proliferate, and our minority citizens continue to experience bias and lack equitable access to care. I know first hand what opportunity can do to change a personal trajectory. Access to a local high quality university education, access to career advancement, access to sponsors and mentors, and access to a continuously evolving healthcare system that supports the health of the community, can make a positive impact. We need this partnership to change lives in our region for generations to come. Thank you for your time, and for all of your efforts in considering this once in a lifetime decision. I don't envy the difficult position that making this decision places on you personally, and pray for your insight and wisdom as you proceed. For the future health of our community, please support moving forward with the definitive agreement with Novant. Christy Spivey, RN, BSN, MBA, NE -BC, FACHE Administrator Regional Services New Hanover Regional Medical Center Wilmington, NC, 28402 910-279-4664 mobile 910-667-3751 office christy.spivey@nhrmc.ore Crowell, Kym From: Chris Boney <chrisboney@ls3p.com> Sent: Friday, September 25, 2020 2:50 PM To: Comments Subject: NHRMC + Novant Dear County Commissioners, As a local business owner and long-time resident of New Hanover County, the future of our community is of utmost importance to me. Therefore, I urge the County Commissioners to vote IN FAVOR of the sale of NHRMC to Novant. NHRMC has been a client of our Architecture firm for over 55 years, and our involvement in its growth has never stopped. They are one of my.biggest clients — therefore I have a great deal to potentially lose in this acquisition. A sale to an "out of town" entity might mean that the revenue from NHRMC goes elsewhere. This is local money that employs our staff of 37, as well as dozens of consultants and vendors locally. However, I believe that my personal risk is far outweighed by the benefit to our community. I know the Novant people — their culture will work well with ours. They are honorable, the process has been open and transparent, the research has been vigorous and well-done, and the benefit to New Hanover County is too great to ignore. Please support the motion to approve the sale. Sincerely, Chris Boney Christopher L. Boney AiA,LEED AP Chief Relationships Officer 910.617.0931 (MOBILE) LS5P.HITECTURF - INTSMORS - Ps-ARMNG a Crowell, Kym From: Clauston Jenkins <claustonj@gmail.com> Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 8:32 AM To: Comments Subject: Proposed Sale of Hospital I have two questions for the County Commissioners. One: According to a statement from Novant, they are not going to appoint the 6 members of the local governing board that the County Commissioners do not appoint. Who will appoint them? If you do not know, how can you approve this agreement? Two: If Novant or The University of North Carolina do not keep the promises they make in the agreement, what recourse does New Hanover County have to seek redress? Clauston Jenkins 2415 Oleander Dr. Wilmington, NC 28403 910-352-1962 Crowell, Kym From: Gray Boone <Gray.Boone@NHRMC.ORG> Sent: Saturday, September 26, 2020 10:29 AM To: Comments Subject: Support for Partnership at Public Hearing 1 - As a nurse leader employed by NHRMC who sees first hand the amount of work that really needs to be done to "lead our community to outstanding health," I fully support the proposed partnership with Novant Health and UNC School of Medicine! With shared resources, increased financial support, and academic experiences, we all really will be better together, and our community is who will benefit most from this. I know I speak for many others when I say we're here to provide the same great care to you and your family members regardless of the company that signs our paychecks! R.010Y1eL !-IRR Worth, MSN, RN, CHFN Heart Failure Program Manager New Hanover Regional Medical Center Wilmington, NC Office: 910-6674426 Mobile: 910-515-1765 2 - As an employee of NHRMC I am in full support of the partnership and believe it will help us take care of our community and region better. GRAY BOONE Admin Assoc. IV Dr. Amy Messier (CM10) Clinical Systems Dept gray.boone@nhrmc.org o. 910.343.2476 c. 910.520.4072 Imagine better Crowell, Kym From: Terri DeWees <Terri.DeWees@nhrmc.org> Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 8:13 AM To: Comments Subject: NHRMC-Novant-UNC Partnership -We ARE better together As a healthcare professional with nearly 30 years in the field of emergency and trauma nursing, I am writing today in support of the partnership between New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Novant Health and the University of North Carolina. Healthcare is facing continued challenges in providing safe, high quality, cost-effective care. We can no longer go it alone and meet the goals of our mission. NHRMC has a history of providing these things to our region but as we face unprecedented growth, we need to do more. The residents of our community and the surrounding seven -county region have come to rely on NHRMC for their care. We have a duty to provide access, affordability and cutting- edge care. People should not have to leave their area to seek this care. Medical research and education will have a continued home in Wilmington. The care that people have valued for years will be even stronger. A vote for this partnership is a vote for the future of healthcare for ALL. Safe, accessible care -Leading our Community to Outstanding Health. We are Better.... Together. Terri DeWees DNP, RN, CEN, NE -BC Director NHRMC-Trauma Services 910-667-2565 (office) 910-386-1838 (cell) Crowell, Kym From: Paula Moore <pnm908@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 9:28 AM To: Comments Subject: Community Needs and Our Hospital Good morning, First, I would like to share that I have lived in Wilmington my entire life. My husband, children, mother, father, grandfather, and his father born in Wilmington too. I could keep going with the family tree, but I'm sure you get the point. I'm also an employee at NHRMC and have worked there for fifteen years. I have many mixed emotions about the partnership. If I were selfish I would say it's a terrible idea. Change is uncomfortable. I love who we are, our culture, our leadership, our patient care and it would be so much easier to stay status quo. However, I am not selfish and status quo is not enough. When I look at the future of our growing population and healthcare demands I know the partnership with Novant is the right thing to do. Yes, the unknown that comes with change makes me uneasy, but the unknown without a partnership is so much more concerning. The partnership is the right thing to do for our people and their healthcare. The facts and the data support it, making it the right thing to do. Please put down your personal political agendas and look at the future of our rapidly increasing healthcare needs. The majority of our community supports the partnership. Please do the same and vote yes! Respectfully, Paula Sent from my iPhone Crowell, Kym From: Susan K Bulluck <bks42@aol.com> Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 1:37 PM To: Comments; County Commissioners Cc: Coudriet, Chris Subject: New Hanover County Commissioners timing on the sale of NHRMC and its assets Chairman Boseman, members of the Commission. I am writing to ask that you delay the decision on the sale of the hospital and its physical assets until the people have spoken in this November 3rd election. The appropriate decision will become clear from the results of the coming general election and Supreme Court ruling on the ACA. If all or most healthcare insurance coverage reverts to private insurance we, as a county, will be paying for an increasing share of the costs for pre-existing medical interventions directly from county funds or from the county treasury. The 1.5 billion dollar windfall will be eaten alive in a matter of several years. The cost of health care for many will shift down to the county. The hospital will ultimately become an increasing weight for its losses. The loss will be both in revenue and in services and as an owner you want to sell and hope you can generate the needed funds from the 1.5 billion from the sale. The hospital as a private entity will expect to be paid at the standard level of cost. With our aging population and influx of retirees we are contemplating, the sale of one of our assets that brought those new residents here will become a huge liability. If our national medical care veers to the private side- yes, sell before the losses mount. If, on the other hand, by election result and Supreme Court ruling the ACA and pre-existing conditions coverage continue under the Biden/Harris plan we will be in a growing asset position. We would not want to be selling a physical and cash asset with long term benefit to the community. Yes, it could be a long term cash cow. A cash cow with even greater revenue capabilities and it's in excess of 500 million dollars a year now on the books. To commit to sell now would place New Hanover County residents i.e. taxpayers in a questionable position. A commitment made without having all the national policy impacts to come within days of the election is improper. Your approach to this issue is timed to benefit the buyer, not the seller. This is really a very simple decision for you. If we are moving away from communal care for our residents and we advocate and end up with a totally private insurance system then you will need to sell the hospital as negotiated. You will need every bit of the 1.25 billion to care for our many residents who will no longer be covered due to the shift in policy. If, on the other hand, the Affordable Care Act survives via election or court ruling, you would have sold our asset and the position of participation that this asset provides. You will have given away the annual hundreds of millions stream of revenue that could be the basis for both expanded services and the continuation of charity care. The issue of sale or no sale should be driven by this election and the decision of the Supreme Court and the resulting change in health care policy at the national and state levels. Those decisions will drive the cost benefit issues. Trust me, both water and waste run downhill from Washington to the county as is always the case.. You all will go into NHC political history for your decision which WILL live in perpetuity. You will be viewed as officials of wisdom or as political fools. You currently lack the policy and political knowledge of the future to make a wise decision at this point. If you look at Novant's acquisition history you have plenty of time left to make this decision. Please delay this decision until the voters have made their decision and the Supreme Court has heard and rendered their decision on ACA and the per -existing condition status. You have plenty of other issues on your plate to deal with without making the legal commitment on this one. Thank you for your time and your service as elected officials. Susan K Bulluck 102 Tanbridge Rd., Wilmington, NC 28405 Bulluck $ Co / AmRuss Ventures/ 1904 Eastwood Rd. Suite 315, Wilmington, NC 28403 910/619-2026 Crowell, Kym From: George Vlasits <gvlasits@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 4:59 PM To: Comments Subject: NHRMC sale The following statement is submitted by: George Vlasits, 6618 Motts Village Road, Wilmington, NC 28412 I have been a resident and homeowner in NHC for 8 years. I am a retired public -school teacher, Second Vice President of the NHC-NAACP, Precinct Chair and member of the NC Democratic Party State Executive Committee and a long-time activist for social and economic justice. Herb Harton, 746 Silver Lake Road, Wilmington, NC 28412 I have been a resident and homeowner in NHC for 32 years. I am the President of the Southeastern North Carolina Central Labor Council, Regional Steward and Political Coordinator for IATSE Local 600, a member of the NC Democratic Party State Executive Committee, and a long-time activist for social and economic justice. WE ARE OPPOSED TO THE SALE OF NHRMC FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS: • This is not how a democracy should function - The sale of the Hospital has been brokered and approved by a lame -duck County Commission. Two of the four Commissioners who voted to sell are not even running for re- election in November. The hospital is the largest single employer in the county and its most significant financial asset. It is not owned by the County Commissioners, but by the people of New Hanover County. Outside polls taken in the county consistently demonstrate that a majority of these owners of the hospital do not want to sell, or at least have serious concerns, despite a massive campaign by Novant, the hand-picked PAG and the administration of NHRMC to convince people that this is a great deal, or as one reporter in the StarNews put it, a "windfalr for the county residents. Should we surrender this asset to a private company, without having some sort of referendum on the sale? • The county will actually get very little from this sale - Most of the money that Novant is offering to "buy" the hospital will actually remain under Novant's control. A majority of the board members who will oversee the $1.25 billion "community foundation" will be appointed by Novant, thus giving this private entity, rather than New Hanover County, control over most of the proceeds from the sale to the county. The county will end up getting only $350 million directly from the sale. • Some of the hospital workers will most likely Ret laid off -When Novant purchased other hospitals in NC, they laid off a significant number of workers. In 2012, after buying Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, Novant laid off almost 300 workers. In 2015, Novant laid off 400 workers in Charlotte under a "reorganization" plan. Despite expanding medical needs in NC, Novant seems more interested in "achieving financial savings to ensure (its) long-term financial stability" than in protecting its workers and serving the community. • Employees' pensions will be negatively affected - NHRMC currently offers employees a defined benefit pension plan. Novant offers defined contribution plans, which do NOT guarantee employees a set amount when they retire. Current employees who are not vested and new hires would almost certainly be denied the opportunity,to be covered by a defined benefit pension. • Taxpayers may well end up with a bill for the pensions of current employees - Current employees who are vested in the defined benefit plan offered by NHRMC will continue in that plan, BUT Novant is not going to assume the liability for the pension plans beyond the amount they are paying under the purchase agreement. What this means is that New Hanover County taxpayers are left with that responsibility, should pension benefits exceed the amounts already funded. • Costs of services will undoubtedly go up, with no auarantee that these services will improve - There is no evidence that services to residents will improve or that the costs of these services will go down. What Novant is doing here and elsewhere in the state is part of a national effort by large hospital corporations to create a monopoly in healthcare by buying up independent hospitals and medical practices. Almost everywhere this happens, costs go up and quality goes down. Even for "not for profit" companies, the bottom line comes first rather than meeting the communities' needs. Why would Novant want to "buy" NHRMC unless it will improve their bottom line. And at what cost to our community? • The interests of the Novant could leave us unprepared to meet the needs of the community in a crisis - The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed how cost cutting measures by large hospital conglomerates have left communities poorly prepared for medical crises across the country. Should the sale go through, Novant and not our local officials, will decide what level of preparedness is sufficient to meet future health crises. • There is no reason to believe that this acquisition will be different from other conalomerate acquisitions - A 2012 investigation by The Charlotte Observer and The News & Observer found that large nonprofit hospitals in our state have driven up health care costs, paid millions to their own executives, and left thousands of patients struggling to pay their medical bills. Although Novant is a "not for profit" company, some people end up making a lot of money. In 2018 its three largest component companies paid twelve administrators over $1 million each and another25 administrators over $500 thousand each. • Novant will need to borrow upwards of $4.9 billion to pay for all their promises - How will that money be paid back with interest? Or more importantly, by whom? • Novant could decide to sell NHRMC sometime in the future which would most likely void any promises they made as part of the purchase. Will the county have an say in the terms of that sale? No. Will the employees be guaranteed their jobs, wages and benefits? No. Given the county no longer "owns" the hospital, it will lose any ability to protect the hospital workers and the community at large. Based on these concerns, we urge the NHC Commissioners to, at a minimum, postpone the final decisions on the sale until after the election in November and, at that point, put the issue to a referendum so all the citizens of our county can have a say. Submitted at 5:00 PM on September 27, 2020 Crowell, Kym From: jckalinal=verizon.net@webformsnhcgov.com on behalf of Clare and James Kalina <jckalinal @verizon.net> Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 5:45 PM To: Crowell, Kym Subject: Support for sale of NHRMC Se%iit An ap i tipra, 8epait'bot or ttr message: County Commissioners & Clerk to the Board Clare and James Kalina Errial jckalinal CcDverizon.net Subject Support for sale of NHRMC YOLtlhl_�s�gr� - . We live in Wilmington and are in full support of the sale of NHRMC to Novant. We hope you will vote in favor of the sale as recommended by the PAG. Thanks! 1 Crowell, Kym From: Linda Pearce <lipearce65@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 6:34 PM To: Comments Subject: Fwd: Delivery Status Notification (Failure) commentsnanhc og v.com ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Mail Delivery Subsystem <mailer-daemon(cDgooglemail.com> Date: Sun, Sep 27, 2020 at 4:48 PM Subject: Delivery Status Notification (Failure) To: <lipearce656Umail.com> I sent this before the deadline, but, unbeknownst to me, it was returned because of a fautly email address. You can see it was sent at 4:47PM. Please accept it as a part of public comments. Linda P. Thomas (910)232-8310. s i Address not found Your message wasn't delivered to comments@nhgov.com because the domain nhgov.com couldn't be found. Check for typos or unnecessary spaces and try again. ' i The response was: DNS Error: 7630640 DNS type 'mx' lookup of nhgov.com responded with code NOERROR 7630640 DNS type 'mx' lookup of nhgov.com had no relevant answers. 7630640 DNS type 'aaaa' lookup of nhgov.com responded with code NOERROR 7630640 DNS type 'aaaa' lookup of nhgov.com had no relevant answers. 7630640 DNS type 'a' lookup of nhgov.com responded with code NOERROR 7630640 DNS type 'a' lookup of nhgov.com had no relevant answers. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Linda Pearce <lipearce65(a-),gnail.com> To: commentsAnnh ov.com 1 Cc: Bcc: Date: Sun, 27 Sep 2020 16:47:50 -0400 Subject: Comment for Public Hearing The partnership with Novant might, conceivably, be good for the community if promises are kept; if the staff is not negatively impacted in any way, including retirement promises and if health equity remains a top priority. Linda P. Thomas Crowell, Kym From: Michael Travis <michael.troy.travis@gmail.com> Sent: Sunday, September 27, 2020 11:32 PM To: Comments Subject: Potential Sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center Hello I wanted to go on record once again with some quick words against the potential partnership/sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center to Novant Health. This is a bad plan. I'm not seeing any support for the move among residents or employees at the hospital or Physicians Group. Everyone I talk to seems to have negative feelings about the situation and intense worry. That worry has only increased as the public has to deal with local officials pressing on with the partnership during the worst pandemic we've suffered in recent history. Novant Health has a lower quality of care in Brunswick County than we have at NHRMC. Patients consistently praise New Hanover over any other hospital in the region. And this includes the Novant facility in Brunswick County. Novant's partnership would lower the standard of care for our residents and all patients in the network. Local families will have to deal with that loss of quality healthcare for decades to come. New Hanover employees have higher quality benefits and better working environments than Novant employees. Partnership with Novant would lower job satisfaction in the NHRMC network and lead to critical loss of highly trained and experienced staff. A loss of quality staff and experience at our hospital will be directly felt by our community as their standard of care drops. NHRMC is a great asset to our community.We will slowly but surely be relinquishing control of one of our great regional assets to an outside corporation who does not share our concerns. NHRMC continues to be successful and profitable year after year. Why would you risk that to meet the needs of an imaginary financial future based on the worst possible predictions of the healthcare market? Our hospital has a track record of success. I don't see any reason to change. A partnership or sale of NHRMC will lead to a major loss of quality healthcare in our region and county residents do not support it. If you doubt me, open the issue up for a public referendum and see if I'm wrong. You were all voted into office to represent your constituents. If you consistently get negative feedback about a plan and push it through anyway, how can you call yourselves representatives of the people? I will vote against anyone who supports the sale or partnership of NHRMC. That is a promise. Thank you for your time. Michael Travis Wilmington, NC