PUBLIC NOTICE: Board of Commissioners to consider and vote October 5 on NHRMC Asset Purchase Agreement, Use of Proceeds, Bylaws, and Lease Termination
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC – The New Hanover County Board of Commissioners, at its regular meeting on Monday, October 5 at 4 p.m. at the New Hanover County Historic Courthouse, located at 24 North Third Street, in Room 301, will consider and vote on the following:
- Asset Purchase Agreement between New Hanover County, New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) and Novant Health
- Use of net proceeds (which is included in the Asset Purchase Agreement as “Exhibit C” and referred to previously as “Exhibit D” in the approved Letter of Intent)
- Bylaws for a community endowment (the bylaws are still under review and being updated, based on Commissioner input from their September 21 board meeting)
- The termination of the lease between the county and NHRMC (if the Asset Purchase Agreement is approved, the current lease agreement between New Hanover County and NHRMC would terminate at closing, because properties and facilities being leased would be sold by the county – making the lease no longer relevant).
The public can attend the meeting, but capacity will be limited due to COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines will be followed. The meeting will be available to view live on NHCTV.com and NHCTV’s cable stations: Spectrum channel 13 and Charter channel 5.
In accordance with NC General Statute 131E-13, this public notice is being made 10 days in advance of a vote of the Board of Commissioners to potentially approve a sale of NHRMC to Novant Health.
The exploration process to determine the best future of NHRMC began in July 2019, and the Partnership Advisory Group was formed and began its analysis in October 2019. Through 17 public meetings and hundreds of hours of research and study, the Advisory Group determined NHRMC could best serve the needs of the growing region through a sale of NHRMC from New Hanover County to Novant Health. The partnership also brings an expanded relationship with UNC Health for pediatric specialty services and UNC School of Medicine for graduate medical education, clinical training and research.
The NHRMC Board of Trustees and New Hanover County Board of Commissioners approved moving forward with a Letter of Intent in July, which led to the finalizing of an Asset Purchase Agreement between the county, NHRMC and Novant Health. The agreement can be viewed at NHRMCfuture.org, along with its four-page summary here.
Public Hearing – September 28
The Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing on September 28 at 5 p.m. for the community to provide additional input and feedback prior to the October 5 meeting and vote of the board. Details for the public hearing were announced September 18, including how to submit comments by email and speak at the hearing, and those can be found here.
The meeting on October 5 will come after additional input is received at the public hearing, and after recommendations are made to Commissioners by the Partnership Advisory Group and Board of Trustees next week.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
New Hanover County:
Jessica Loeper, Chief Communications Officer
(910) 798-7461
New Hanover Regional Medical Center:
Julian March, Media Relations Coordinator
(910) 667-3849