WILMINGTON — Friday afternoon New Hanover Regional Hospital announced it has paused the formal meeting schedule and evaluation process of a sale or new partnership for the hospital, citing the need to give members of the Partnership Advisory Group (PAG) time to focus on a response to the ongoing Covid-19 outbreak.
Related: NHRMC sale exploration update: Six proposals received, PAG meeting canceled, closed sessions ahead
On Friday morning, Port City Daily sent questions to New Hanover County Manager Chris Coudriet, NHRMC President John Gizdic, and PAG Co-Chair Spence Broadhurst, asking whether the outbreak would delay the process, considering that many residents would be fully focused on the evolving public health and financial crisis. Broadhurst responded to say he was working on an answer — presumably, this afternoon’s announcement is just that.
According to a release from the hospital, “[t]he citizen-led Partnership Advisory Group considering options for the future of New Hanover Regional Medical Center has paused its formal meeting schedule and evaluation process to allow members of the team more time to focus on the response to COVID-19 and the care of area patients. The Partnership Advisory Group includes five members of the NHRMC Medical Staff who, along with the staff of NHRMC and New Hanover County, have been working through preparations and procedures to limit the spread and impact of COVID-19 in our community.”
PAG Co-Chair Barb Biehner noted that the risk posed by Covid-19 “underscores the urgency of looking to the future and being prepared,” she said the hospital wanted to give the members of the PAG who were on the medical team the ability to give the disease their full attention.
In today’s announcement, the hospital stated that three meetings would be canceled in total — including one, originally slated for yesterday, that has already been canceled. Two subsequent meetings, originally planned for March 26 and April 2, have also been canceled.
“Subsequent meeting schedules and formats will be evaluated in the coming weeks,” according to NHRMC.
The public release of proposals from six interested health care systems has also been pushed back at least two weeks from its planned March 30 date.
Broadhurst said the PAG intends to resume the process “as soon as we are able.”
“While concerns about Coronavirus may keep us from holding in-person, public group meetings for the near future, we’ll do everything we can to ensure our community has easy access to the materials and open sessions so they can continue to be involved. We are committed to ensuring the public is informed and engaged when we begin meeting again,” Broadhurst said.
New Hanover County Commissioners will hold a public hearing on the proposals before any final decisions are made. A hearing originally planned for April 13 will be postponed. The new date for that hearing will be announced in the coming months.
