Page 7 - Robeson Living Fall 2020

Southeastern Health Board Chair Kenneth Rust signs a non-binding Letter of Intent with UNC Health to enter
into a long-term comprehensive Management Services Agreement that will culminate in Southeastern Health
becoming the 12th member of the UNC Health system. Southeastern Health intends to co-brand with UNC
Health as UNC Health Southeastern. Present at the signing were, seated at left, SeHealth President/CEO Joann
Anderson and, seated at right, SeHealth Board Vice Chair Wayland Lennon. Standing, from left, are SeHealth’s
Vice President and Chief Engagement Officer Patrick Ebri, PhD, Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Jason Cox, and Chief Nurse Executive Renae Taylor.

services Southeastern offers today while keeping care local, sionate and efficient environment,” Rust said. “Southeastern
and positively impacting the health and wellbeing of the com- Health has deep ties to the community and UNC Health is
munities it serves. Southeastern will benefit from the scale and committed to helping advance the health and wellbeing of the
expertise of UNC Health in areas such as clinical and organiza- region while providing a more coordinated experience and en-
tional development initiatives, purchasing agreements, access suring continuity of care for patients.”
to clinical and operational subject matter experts, and more.
Of particular interest to the Board was UNC Health’s strides in
“We have tremendous respect for Southeastern Health. We ad- rural healthcare and population health throughout North Caro-
mire what they are doing to advance healthcare in rural North lina.
Carolina and look forward to achieving even more together to
improve the health and wellness of the communities South- “UNC Health has a deep understanding of rural healthcare and
eastern serves,” said Dr. Wesley Burks, CEO of UNC Health. the challenges associated with delivering care in that environ-
“UNC Health knows the value of partnering with rural and ment,” said Southeastern Health President and CEO, Joann
community hospitals to keep care local by expanding access Anderson. “In the past decade, UNC Health has partnered with
to healthcare providers and services close to home. Formally smaller hospitals across the state to improve care in those re-
aligning with Southeastern Health is a natural fit and advances gions and we look forward to working very closely with them
our mission of serving all North Carolinians.” here in our part of the state.”

Over the course of Southeastern Health’s deliberate and thor- Importantly, Southeastern will benefit from UNC Health’s ex-
ough process it became clear that UNC Health was the natural isting population health management strategy and commitment
and best fit for the organization. to addressing health disparities with innovative, patient-cen-
tered solutions. “While this is an exciting milestone, we still
“UNC Health believes in and supports the Southeastern mis- have more work to do on the details of the proposed compre-
sion to provide quality, regional healthcare in a safe, compas- hensive Management Services Agreement,” said Anderson.
Robeson Living ~ Fall 2020 Page 7