Vidant Medical Center and Pitt County Offer Reasonable Settlement Agreement | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Greenville, N.C.     June 3, 2019     Vidant Medical Center (VMC) continues to be committed and open to discussions about changes to its board structure. This includes conversations with elected representatives and conversations with the University of North Carolina Board of Governors (UNC BOG), East Carolina University (ECU) and Pitt County.

    Earlier today, VMC and Pitt County submitted a proposed settlement agreement.

    The agreement includes the following:

• The State budget must include $28 million in funding toward the planning of a new building for the Brody School of Medicine.
• The language included in the State budget penalizing VMC $35 million must be removed.
• Changes to the VMC Board structure would include:
  • Pitt County would continue to appoint 11 members or 55 percent of the VMC Board; at least one would be a Pitt County physician.
  • The UNC BOG would appoint four members.
  • The VMC Board would appoint two ECU physicians nominated by a special committee chaired by the Dean of the Brody School of Medicine.
  • The VMC Board would appoint two members.
  • The Dean of the Brody School of Medicine would serve as a member.
• All parties would come together quickly to continue discussing the following:
  • Equal pay for ECU and UNC faculty in their respective medical schools for teaching and research.
  • Proportionate class expansion for ECU and UNC in their respective medical schools.
  • ECU naming rights to VMC.
  • Clinical and operational matters.
  • Change of control protection for UNC BOG.
• There are currently two open seats on the VMC Board. The Dean of the Brody School of Medicine at ECU would serve in one seat. The VMC Board would appoint a member to the other seat.
• Current members of the VMC Board would complete their terms.
• Current litigation would be dismissed.

    Even without an agreement, the General Assembly should take action to immediately remove the $35 million penalty included in the State budget. This cut to VMC will have devastating consequences for the people of eastern North Carolina and is on top of another $38 million in cuts as a result of action by the State Treasurer.

    About Vidant Health     Vidant Health is a mission-driven, 1,504-bed health system that annually serves more than 1.4 million people in 29 eastern North Carolina counties. The not-for-profit system is made up of more than 12,500 team members, eight hospitals, home health, hospice, wellness centers, and Vidant Medical Group, a multi-specialty physician and provider group with more than 500 providers in more than 90 locations in eastern North Carolina. Vidant is affiliated with The Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. As a major resource for health services and education, Vidant has a mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina. For more information, visit www.vidanthealth.com.

• Contact: Jason Lowry
•     jason.lowry@vidanthealth.com