WakeMed CEO: Our merger isn’t about getting bigger. It’s a lifeline. | Opinion
The author is president and CEO of WakeMed Health & Hospitals.
WakeMed is one of my life’s greatest blessings.
My 40 years in health care have been dedicated to serving the greater good. No politics, no special interests, no personal gain — only a steadfast commitment to help those when help is needed most.
At WakeMed, we deliver great care with great purpose to a great community. We serve humbly with conviction and compassion to improve health and well-being. And while much has changed since opening our doors in 1961, our mission to care for all has never wavered. The trust we have earned from those who rely on us is sacred, and we will never do anything to erode that trust or what this community has built.
Right now, with the headwinds health care is facing, we are at a crossroads — and WakeMed’s mission is at risk.
Our decision to unite WakeMed with Atrium Health truly is in the best interest of the patients and families we serve today and those we will care for in the generations to come. It is also in the best interest of our clinicians and staff, who both choose and trust WakeMed as the place where they deliver health and healing, while providing the resources and facilities needed to put their passion for care into practice. Acting now is for the long-term future of WakeMed to ensure we remain a strong, viable, mission driven organization that cares for all, regardless of their ability to pay.
Our financial stewardship has put WakeMed in a fiscally sound operating position to deliver on our mission and provide over $100 million in pure charity care and another $250 million in unreimbursed care every year. We have used profits to reinvest in our community, our organization, our team, our facilities and services. For 65 years, we have gotten by — but the landscape is changing.
As a smaller independent system, we cannot on our own fund what is needed in the long term, nor do we have the borrowing power over the next 10 to 15 years to rebuild, expand and grow to meet the evolving needs of the community. Lenders are unlikely to fund the $1 billion needed in renovations for our Raleigh Campus, which proudly serves Southeast Raleigh, because it’s not lucrative as a new revenue stream.
For WakeMed, this is not about getting bigger for bigger’s sake; it is about getting stronger to better serve the community that relies on us. Atrium Heath’s $2 billion investment isn’t “extra” money — it is the infrastructure lifeline for WakeMed to remain a strong, competitive health system. It will help create jobs, develop new services, bring in new physicians, specialties and equipment, and help us rebuild and renovate the aging Raleigh Campus while constructing other facilities. At its core, it will improve access and quality of care.
Without combining resources with a like-minded organization, WakeMed will face greater challenges alongside a significantly extended timeline for growth and expansion, making independence unsustainable.
There is a lot of conversation coming from a place of love for WakeMed—because people care about WakeMed.
While there are those who would benefit from a weaker WakeMed, competition is healthy and necessary. This combination will make WakeMed a stronger, more competitive player in this rapidly growing market while providing choices. Those who wish to marginalize WakeMed need look no further than our strong history and origins to know that we will not back down from always doing what is right for our patients and our community. This is about WakeMed doing what is best for Wake County. We look forward to competing with better care, affordability, greater access and a better patient experience along with a better environment for our employees to deliver care.
Our Board of Directors and leadership spent the last three years getting to know Atrium Health’s team, culture and what they stand for. We have developed mutual trust between our organizations and are confident this agreement will direct the necessary resources into the right areas of community need while protecting our team and our legacy. The use of the word “sale” is fundamentally incorrect. WakeMed is not for sale — this is combining our resources and talents with the Atrium Health family, an organization with similar origin stories and purpose to care for all. WakeMed’s assets stay WakeMed’s assets. We remain in the driver’s seat with safeguards in place for local governance, decision-making and determining what is best for WakeMed and our community.
I welcome questions about costs, and I understand the initial surprise and concerns. Costs are going up for everyone — supplies, medicine, equipment and labor continue to rise with inflation. The combination will help us reduce our cost structure, enabling us to invest even more in keeping people out of the hospital through preventive care and expanded access for those who need it most.
This is not the end of the WakeMed story. We intend to deliver on every promise we have made to you — not just today, but for generations to come. This is the next chapter that ensures our story continues; where WakeMed not only survives but thrives and your trust in us continues.