From University of North Carolina System

The University of North Carolina System, East Carolina University, Pitt County Government and Vidant Health have reached an agreement to resolve a pending lawsuit concerning the affiliation between the Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Medical Center. The UNC System and ECU filed the lawsuit in May after Vidant and Pitt County eliminated the authority of the UNC System’s Board of Governors to appoint nine of the 20 members of the Vidant Medical Center Board of Trustees.

The parties worked collaboratively over the past few months to reach an agreement on the University’s appointments to the Vidant Medical Center board and to establish a framework for future cooperation between the Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Medical Center.

“We are pleased that this agreement honors the long-standing partnership between Vidant, Pitt County and East Carolina University. ECU’s Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Medical Center play an important and vital role in ensuring quality health care for eastern North Carolina and future generations of medical professionals for all of North Carolina,” said Randy Ramsey, chair of the Board of Governors of the University of North Carolina System.

Details of the agreement related to the Vidant Medical Center Board of Trustees:

• The Dean of the Brody School of Medicine and the Chancellor of East Carolina University will fill two of nine seats appointed by UNC Board of Governors;
• Trustees for the remaining seven seats will be nominated by a Vidant Medical Center Board of Trustees nominating committee for approval by the Board of Governors;
• The Chief Executive Officer for Vidant Health will serve as an official, designated liaison to the East Carolina University Board of Trustees Health Sciences Committee; and
• The Brody School of Medicine and Vidant Medical Center will jointly engage a financial consultant to assess the current financial relationship between the entities.

“I am pleased that we have been able to achieve a resolution that strengthens the relationship between Vidant and the ECU Brody School of Medicine,” said Beth Ward, chair, Pitt County Board of Commissioners. “I look forward to the continued success of the partnership between Pitt County, Vidant and ECU that has provided quality health care to serve the residents throughout eastern North Carolina.”

The agreement strengthens the relationships among the institutions and creates a fair process to ensure the right leadership is in place to best serve the East. In addition, the dean of the Brody School of Medicine will continue to serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the Vidant Health Board.

Dr. Mark Stacy, vice chancellor for health sciences and dean of the Brody School of Medicine, said, “We are pleased that the structural alignment decisions have been completed, so we can focus on our shared mission of becoming a national model for rural health and wellness.”

“There is nothing more important than the people we collectively serve throughout eastern North Carolina,” said Dr. Mike Waldrum, chief executive officer, Vidant Health. “Everyone involved understands the unique challenges facing our rural communities. A strong partnership is vital as we work together to support and train the next generations of medical professionals and to deliver high quality care close to home.”