"It really is not about today, not even about tomorrow, not even about next year, but where we are five, 10, 15, 20 years down the line," said WakeMed President and CEO Donald Gintzig. Under the proposed agreement, Atrium Health would invest $2 billion into WakeMed, with WakeMed joining Atrium's broader health system while maintaining a majority of seats on its Board of Directors. Further, they project the deal would lead to the creation of 3,300 new health care jobs. WakeMed leaders stressed the arrangement is not a sale but a partnership they say will allow the hospital system to expand services more quickly. The agreement, announced last Friday, was originally scheduled for a possible vote by the Wake County Board of Commissioners on Monday. Commissioners instead voted to defer action for at least 90 days following strong pushback from elected officials and communi…

There are several concerns that need to be addressed, and the people of Wake County and North Carolina deserve time to learn about and discuss the proposed transaction. A structural shift of this scale must be met with full transparency. State Treasurer Brad Briner, State Representatives Mike Schietzelt and Erin Pare, and Raleigh Mayor Janet Cowell brought much-needed awareness to this issue, and I thank the Wake County Commissioners for acting appropriately at this time." The delay was also welcomed by state employee Nicole Hunter, who said residents and public workers deserve more input before a decision is made. "I want them to get more feedback from the citizens and the state employees, because at the end of the day, this can change our quality of life tremendously," Hunter said. Hunter has previously been a patient at WakeMed and praised the level of care she rec…