Chatham Hospital holds open house
As appeared in the July 23, 2008 edition of The Chatham News
Chatham citizen and public figures turned out Sunday afternoon to get a first look at Chatham Hospital's replacement facility in Central Carolina Business Park. The open house tour kicked off with remarks from UNC Healthcare chief executive officer Dr. Bill Roper, Chatham Hospital chief executive officer Carol Straight and Chatham Hospital board chair Laura Clapp.
"We are proud that UNC and Chatham Hospital have forged such a strong partnership over the past decade, and we are sure that all Siler City and Chatham County residents benefit from this relationship," Roper said.
He addressed UNC Health Care's announcement last week that the company intends to purchase the hospital. "With this acquisition, our long-standing relationship is more structured and formalized," he added. "But it does not mean that Chatham patients or residents will see many changes." He added that the hospital will continue to operate as a private, not-for-profit organization; the name and leadership will not change and the hospital will "continue to provide high-quality, cost-effective care to patients."
"We are proud to be able to expand our relationships and services here to meet the needs of this community as do in other parts of this region and state," he said. "We look forward to being a strong community partner for years to come."
Chatham Hospital Board of Trustees chair Laura Clapp said since 2002, the hospital board has envisioned the new facility. She added the Board of Trustees members were "extremely dedicated," and have given "an enormous amount of time to make the new facility possible." Clapp said she has been most impressed by Straight's "ability to oversee the construction and UNC Health Care's planned acquisition of Chatham Hospital "UNC Health Care's support has been unwavering," she said. "We look forward to maintaining our close partnership with them."
ABOUT UNC HEALTH CARE
The UNC Health Care System is a not-for-profit integrated health care system owned by the state of North Carolina and based in Chapel Hill. It exists to further the teaching mission of the University of North Carolina and to provide state-of-the-art patient care. UNC Health Care is comprised of UNC Hospitals, which is ranked among the top 50 in the nation in six specialties by U.S. News & World Report and ranked one of the country's 41 best on the Leapfrog 2007 Top Hospitals list; the UNC School of Medicine, a nationally eminent research institution; community practices; home health and hospice services in seven central North Carolina counties; and Rex Healthcare and its provider network in Wake County.
