WILMINGTON — On Friday afternoon New Hanover County announced that Superior Court Judge Phyllis Gorham had denied Save Our Hospital’s request to delay the sale of New Hanover Regional Medical Center.
Related: Save Our Hospital sues to block NHRMC sale to Novant until public records request is fulfilled
Earlier this week, Save Our Hospital (SOH) filed suit in Superior Court, asking for a temporary restraining order and other injunctions to prevent the county from completing the sale of NHRMC to Novant until both the county and NHRMC turned over documents requested by SOH.
In its legal complaint, SOH argued that the county and hospital had delayed or declined to turn over public documents and were deliberately stalling their responses until the sale was completed. SOH speculated that the sale could be formalized ahead of schedule on after the public hearing scheduled for Monday, September 28. This would be prior to the final recommendation from the PAG, expected the following day; on Friday, the county announced it would vote on Monday, October 5.
In a joint response to SOH, both parties argued that they have been complying with records requests and that SOH had, at times, been non-responsive to offers for so-called ‘rolling production,’ which would deliver documents as they become available. Both parties also note the onerous size of SOH’s request and that some requested documents could not be delivered due to state law — making it legally impossible to satisfy the request and lift the TRO.
In response to this ruling, New Hanover County Board of Commissioners Chair Julia Olson-Boseman issued the following statement: “We are pleased that Save our Hospital’s motion has been denied by the court. This reinforces the county and hospital’s position that we have been transparent and open throughout this process – with Save our Hospital, its representatives, and the entire community.”
NHRMC President and CEO John Gizdic released a similar statement: “We appreciate the judge’s decision. This is further evidence of how transparent we have been through this entire process. We are committed to being as open as possible and providing information requested according to state statutes. In the meantime, we will continue to engage with our community and share information about all this partnership can do to improve the health of our region. We know that the large majority of our community now see the tremendous benefits it will bring.”
SOH could not be reached for comment at press time. Any additional comment from the organization will be included in this article or future reporting.
