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Hospitality: Pleasure Island revived Phase answers: What’s involved in state’s phased reopening Working Through It: Businesses adapt to pandemic
Index Economic Indicators .............................. 3 Technology ............................................. 4 The List .................................................. 5 Hospitality ..........................................8-9 In Profile...............................................14 Real Estate..................................... 18-20 Business of Life.............................. 26-27
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ILLUSTRATION BY MARK WEBER
Lining up: Atrium Health, Novant Health and Duke Health were the three systems local officials decided to engage in more talks with about their ideas for buying or partnering with NHRMC.
SUITORS COME CALLING A CLOSER LOOK AT THE PROPOSALS FOR NHRMC
BY VICKY JANOWSKI he interviews have begun. Earlier this month, hospital, county and community representatives involved with exploring New Hanover Regional Medical Center made their short list for detailed talks. Of the six health systems that submitted proposals for buying or partnering with NHRMC, three moved ahead of the rest of the pack for further due diligence, with potentially a multi-billion deal at the end for the county-owned hospital. Atrium Health, Duke Health and Novant Health came up as the
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top picks for several of the groups involved in the process. The Partnership Advisory Group, NHRMC trustees and county commissioners all voted unanimously at their respective meetings in recent weeks to move those proposals to the front. The other three proposals – from HCA Healthcare, HealthSpan and UNC Health – are not technically off the table, officials said. That’s in part because a public hearing about the submissions required under state law has not been able to take place yet with the ban on large gatherings during the COVID-19 situation.
County commissioners Monday approved holding that hearing on June 22. Also not off the table, according to Partnership Advisory Group leaders, are the scenarios of not making a deal with an outside health system by keeping NHRMC like it is now as well as restructuring its model internally to get around some of the limitations they say it has as a county-owned facility. “Every decision we make is balanced against status quo, internal restructuring – every step of the way,” said Spence Broadhurst, cochair of the Partnership Advisory See NHRMC, page 6