New Hanover County commissioner calls on Novant NHRMC to improve conditions
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — While it wasn’t on the agenda, a New Hanover County commissioner made a point to call out Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center for long wait times and other concerns brought up by members of the community.
Commissioner Rob Zapple called on County Manager Chris Coudriet to look into the contract the commissioners signed with Novant when they purchased the hospital. It says the level of care would remain the same or be better than what NHRMC was already providing, but Zapple says that’s not what’s been going on.
He cited reports on what he calls “unacceptable” wait times in the emergency room and the shortage of nurses.
“The reality is that Novant is here and we need to have them succeed and be the best darn hospital in Southeastern North Carolina and we want that to happen, but we need them to have a different strategy than what’s going on right now,” Zapple said.
The commissioner says he would like to hear directly from leaders at Novant and collaborate with them to find the best solutions for the existing issues.
