Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health has reached an agreement on a new multi-year contract with UnitedHealthcare, restoring in-network access to care for more than 100,000 UnitedHealthcare-covered patients and supporting rural health sustainability in eastern North Carolina effective Aug. 7, 2026.
The new contract covers patients with Commercial, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid UnitedHealthcare plans, allowing patients to access care from the ECU Health providers, hospitals and clinics they know and trust.
Throughout negotiations, ECU Health’s priority was to protect and restore patients’ access to high-quality, affordable care close to home while ensuring the organization can continue providing essential services across the region.
After years without meaningful increases in reimbursements from UnitedHealthcare despite rising costs associated with delivering care, ECU Health successfully negotiated sustainable terms for the care we provide.
Importantly, this agreement supports:
- Full in-network access to all ECU Health providers, facilities and services for UnitedHealthcare members
- Reimbursement terms that better reflect the cost of care
- Reduced administrative burden
- Fewer barriers to care
- Preserves the relationships our providers have with patients covered by UnitedHealthcare
“Throughout this process, patients and families across eastern North Carolina have been our top priority,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO at ECU Health. “Meeting the mission of improving the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina means ensuring the sustainability of the services we provide, particularly given the ongoing challenges rural healthcare will continue to face. This agreement ensures patients can access the care they trust at ECU Health, close to home, and allows us to move forward with UnitedHealthcare in a way that supports the long-term health of our communities.”
Patients with canceled or postponed appointments can reschedule with their provider on MyChart or call their provider’s office directly to resume care.
For additional questions or support, patients can visit ECUHealth.org/UnitedHealthcare.
For one week each summer, Camp Needles in the Pines transforms a traditional summer camp experience into something much more meaningful for children living with Type 1 diabetes. Located at Camp Boddie in Blounts Creek, campers spend their days kayaking, swimming, climbing, creating crafts and making lifelong friendships. Unlike most summer camps, however, every child at Camp Needles in the Pines shares a common bond: managing Type 1 diabetes.
Founded in 1985, Camp Needles in the Pines serves children ages 8 to 14, while older teens participate as counselors-in-training before eventually becoming counselors themselves. The camp is supported through a partnership between the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, ECU Health and ECU Health Foundation, with funding assistance from Children’s Miracle Network and community donors.
For Camp Director Mindy Saenz, a registered dietitian and diabetes educator with ECU Health Pediatric Specialty Care, the camp’s impact extends far beyond outdoor activities and summer fun.
For Camp Director Mindy Saenz, a registered dietitian and diabetes educator with ECU Health Pediatric Specialty Care, the camp’s impact extends far beyond outdoor activities and summer fun.
“A lot of the kids might be the only one in their whole school who has Type 1 diabetes,” Saenz said. “Here at camp, every single camper has Type 1 diabetes. Everybody counts carbs together, gets insulin together and understands exactly what everyone else is going through.”
This year, 51 campers from across North Carolina – and even one from Texas – attended camp. Throughout the week, they participated in activities including paddleboarding, archery, rifle and shotgun shooting, arts and crafts, STEM projects, ecology programs and a traditional camp talent show.
While camp looks like a typical summer camp on the surface, extensive planning ensures every camper can safely participate.
“The biggest thing is making sure we have enough medical staff,” Saenz said. “Each group has a medical staff person assigned to be with them at all times.”
Camp leaders also coordinate donated insulin, blood glucose testing supplies, glucose treatments and other medical necessities. Daily diabetes education and nutrition classes are woven into the schedule, helping campers build confidence in managing their condition.
Perhaps most importantly, campers are encouraged to celebrate milestones. Whether it is checking their blood sugar independently for the first time or changing an insulin pump site on their own, each achievement is recognized in front of fellow campers.
“We announce it and everybody cheers,” Saenz said. “It’s really about fostering independence and helping them realize they can do these things themselves.”
That sense of support and belonging is what keeps many campers coming back year after year.
Madelyn Sutter knows that feeling well. Now 18 and serving as a counselor-in-training, she has attended Camp Needles in the Pines since she was 8 years old.
“At home, my only experience was my sister also being Type 1,” Sutter said. “There was no one else in my school or sports. Being at camp, everyone is the same for once. Everyone has diabetes and everyone’s going through the same thing.”
Today, she enjoys helping younger campers navigate challenges she once faced herself.
“A lot of them have that same experience where there’s no one at home that’s going through the same thing as them,” she said. “I remember being their age, so I can help them get through whatever’s going on.”
Sutter said the community campers find at Camp Needles in the Pines is unlike anything else.
“It’s my favorite week of the year,” she said. “I count down the days.”
For 16-year-old counselor-in-training Kade McLawhorn, the relationships built at camp are the reason he returns every summer.
“It’s just the people,” McLawhorn said. “Year after year, having the same people you can hang out with and bond with. Sometimes we don’t get to see each other that much, but at least once a year we come together and make some great memories.”
In addition to supporting campers, Camp Needles in the Pines provides a unique learning environment for future health care providers. Dr. Caleb Oakley, a fourth-year Internal Medicine-Pediatrics resident at
ECU Health volunteered at camp this year while completing a pediatric endocrinology rotation.
“In the hospital, things are very black and white with protocols,” Dr. Oakley said. “When you come to camp, you get to see the art of medicine and how individualized diabetes care really is.”
Working alongside campers allowed Dr. Oakley to gain experience with insulin pumps, continuous glucose monitors and the day-to-day realities of living with diabetes.
One of the moments that left the biggest impression on him was watching campers reach personal milestones.
“You can see how proud they are of themselves,” he said. “They’re away from home, outside their comfort zone, and taking big steps in managing their own care.”
Beyond the clinical experience, Dr. Oakley said camp also showed him the importance of community for children living with Type 1 diabetes.
“One thing I underappreciated before coming here was how different it can feel being a kid with Type 1 diabetes,” he said. “At camp, they’re not outsiders. This is the norm. They get to just be kids.”
For Saenz, that feeling of belonging remains at the heart of Camp Needles in the Pines nearly four decades after its founding.
“It’s really about being with other people who understand,” she said. “The friendships they build here last a lifetime.”
Children and seniors are at particularly high risk of heat-related injury if they are left in a hot car, even for a short time. ECU Health’s Center for Child and Family Wellness Eastern Carolina Injury Prevention Program, the N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program, Martin-Pitt Partnership for Children and Safe Kids Pitt County gathered to demonstrate that parked vehicles and hot weather can be a deadly combination for people stuck inside.
“Children heat up three to five times faster than adults and cannot cool themselves down as quickly,” said Ellen Walston, injury prevention program coordinator and Safe Kids Pitt County coordinator at ECU Health. “Seniors’ body temperature also regulates slower. Cracking your windows or leaving them down does not help, despite popular opinion. That is why it’s so important that you never, ever leave a child or a senior in a vehicle unattended, even for a minute.”
Walston said that 50 North Carolina children have died in hot cars from 1998-2025. At the demonstration, pairs of children’s shoes were displayed on a table to illustrate that total.
Also on display was a police vehicle with a temperature gauge depicting the temperature inside and outside of the vehicle. On an unseasonably cool summer day in the mid-80s, even as the temperature outside dipped and rose the air inside the car continued a steady climb to eclipse 130 degrees. Walston said that on a hot day, temperatures inside a parked vehicle rise 20 degrees in a span of ten minutes and continue to rise.
Walston said nationwide more than 50 percent of child deaths in hot cars happen because kids are forgotten in vehicles. Leaving an item like a backpack, cellphone or something else you will remember can serve as a good reminder to check your backseat.
About 17 percent of deaths occur when children are intentionally left behind, Walston said. The remaining deaths come from children gaining access to, but being unable to escape from, a hot vehicle.
“No amount of time, whether it is a trip inside the store or the bank or whatever it may be, is a safe amount of time to leave a child unattended,” Walston said. “When you are at home, lock your vehicle so kids cannot play inside. Small steps can make a big difference when it comes to keeping our children safe.”
Expectant mothers now have more options at ECU Health when it is time to have their baby. That includes Certified Nurse Midwives, or CNMs, whose expertise lies in supporting those moms-to-be throughout their pregnancies, all the way to the delivery table. At ECU Health, qualified, experienced CNMs are now empowered to work within the full scope of their practice authority, a change that aims to improve health care outcomes for mothers and babies while better distributing provider workloads across maternal care teams.
As of April, independent CNMs at ECU Health with at least two years and 4,000 hours of clinical experience are now able to admit patients to the hospital, discharge patients from the hospital and write all notes and orders without the need for a physician’s co-signature or supervision.
CNMs deliver babies from “standard risk” pregnancies while consulting with physicians to identify cases that come with higher risks of complication or need procedures like C-sections. They continue to work in tandem with other members of the maternal care team like OB-GYN physicians.
“This was an incredibly important step forward to ensure that we are using our providers to their full scope of practice in order to improve access to care and broaden our services,” said Elaine Cudnik, executive director for Women’s and Children’s advanced clinical practice at James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center. “There is a nationwide shortage of OB-GYN providers and ECU Health is not immune to the challenges in recruiting that specialty. We continue to augment our services with advanced practice providers and independent certified nurse midwives who can support that critical maternal service here at ECU Health.
Added Cudnik, “I think allowing independent CNMs to work to the top of their license brings an incredible value to the community that we serve and will only expand the access that we’re able to provide.”
On the day the change went into effect two CNMs — Sarah Sears and Margi Reither — were granted independent CNM privileges at ECU Health. Reither called it a monumental step and the result of decades of advocacy. She is grateful that ECU Health now grants qualified CNMs more freedom in scope of practice.
“It is great, professionally, to be able to take care of our own patients,” Reither said. “That’s what we are truly grateful for. We have had wonderful support from our OB-GYN team who agree this is a good, professional decision. This was truly a team effort between midwives, physicians and administrators.”
Sears said the change is empowering, and that it shines a light on how midwives are crucial parts of an OB-GYN team.
“It makes us feel seen,” Sears said. “There is certainly a feeling of respect not just in being able to work with my patients in a new way, but from the health system recognizing what we do and making our roles more visible.”
More importantly, the change is good for patient outcomes. Sears said midwifery care is shown to improve maternal and neonatal outcomes. When physicians and midwives collaborate, it allows providers to play to their own strengths. For midwives, that is recognizing and managing standard risk labor and delivery.
“Physicians really are needed for the high-risk things, the abnormal circumstances that can arise during a delivery,” Sears said. “As midwives, we are focused on the normal. It comes down to working together to make sure our approach fits each individual patient on a case-by-case basis.”
Dr. James Whiteside, department chair, Obstetrics and Gynecology, ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine, played a critical role in helping expand the scope of midwifery practice at ECU Health when he arrived at the health system in 2022. He said further expanding midwives’ scope of practice to include independent care is an important step toward addressing clinician shortages that continue to strain maternal care nationwide.
“We saw an opportunity to expand the role of midwifery across our region and leverage independent scope of practice for these integral members of our care teams,” Dr. Whiteside said. “More midwives will help us address the real challenges facing rural delivery, specifically when it comes to resources and the number of clinicians we have available to provide high-quality care and reduce risk associated with delivery.”
Dr. Dan Dwyer, chief medical officer, ECU Health Community Hospitals and an obstetrician, said he is excited for the positive impact the change will have on maternal services in some of eastern North Carolina’s most rural communities. CNMs will have reliable teams they can work with and the ability to transfer care to another clinician, or to another facility, as needed, in the most efficient way possible.
“Looking ahead, we are excited to introduce independent Certified Nurse Midwives (CNMs) into care teams throughout ECU Health’s rural community hospitals,” Dr. Dwyer said. “Teamwork is a cornerstone of our culture, and we are committed to recruiting and nurturing skilled CNMs whose dedication and values align with our mission. These professionals are essential to delivering the highest quality care in rural settings.”
Serving 29 counties and operating eight rural birthing locations, Dr. Dwyer said ECU Health faces a range of challenges — not least of which are recruiting and retaining talented healthcare professionals.
“To address these needs, it is imperative that every member of our health care team — including independent CNMs — practice at the top of their license. Creating an environment where everyone feels valued and welcomed is central to our approach,” he said. “The collaborative efforts of CNMs, family practitioners and obstetricians, supported by advanced digital technology and a robust network of sub-specialists, are critical to ensuring patients receive timely, appropriate care wherever they are. We take great pride in the strength of our teamwork and remain confident that, together, we can overcome future challenges and continue to provide exceptional care for our communities.”
ECU Health has maintained labor and delivery services at its rural hospitals. Midwives’ knowledge and skills play a prominent role in ensuring that quality care is available to even more patients in eastern North Carolina, Cudnik said.
“We strongly believe in midwives’ practice and their ability,” Cudnik added. “We strive to create a place where that expertise is valued and leveraged in a way that supports our unique rural academic mission. Not only will expanded access to care benefit community hospitals and rural communities, these midwives will also have a chance to teach students and residents at our ECU Health Medical Center. We’re excited to see the independent CNM program grow.”
In eastern North Carolina, summer can be a time of backyard cookouts or days spent at the beach. However, soaring temperatures and smothering humidity put residents at risk of heat-related illnesses that are even more dangerous for people with a heart condition.
Dr. Blase Carabello, ECU Health cardiologist and chief of the Division of Cardiology at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, explained that the heart has to work overtime in extreme heat as the body tries to regulate its temperature.
“Most people are familiar with a car’s radiator, and they know that if the radiator does not work, they will be stuck on the side of the road with steam coming out of the hood,” Dr. Carabello said. “The human body’s radiator is the skin, and when you need to get rid of heat, your heart needs to pump extra blood to the skin to let that radiator work. Almost anyone with a heart condition who already has a weakened heart or some other difficulty is going to be stressed by the heat or have trouble regulating their body’s fluids.”
High temperatures put people at risk of heat exhaustion, which can cause symptoms such as lightheadedness, rapid pulse, low blood pressure, headache or nausea. Anyone who begins to experience those symptoms needs to get out of the sun and drink fluids, Dr. Carabello said. If you stop sweating in hot weather, or start shivering, that’s an indication your health is at risk.
Heat stroke, where the body reaches a temperature over 104-degrees, is a life-threatening condition that requires treatment.
“The body’s temperature can reach the point where it will shut down all activity unless you receive treatment,” Dr. Carabello emphasized. “If someone around you says they feel lightheaded or like they are going to faint in the heat, it is important to act. Check their pulse and, if that does not look right, call for help. It’s much better to have a false alarm than the alternative.”
Dr. Carabello said that when a heat advisory is issued, people need to use their best judgment and make the right decision for their health. When heat indices climb into triple digits, it’s very difficult for the body to regulate. He pointed out that at the World Cup, even some of the best athletes on the planet take heat breaks during their soccer matches.
“If some of the best athletes in the world need that, think about if you’re not on that level,” Dr. Carabello said. “People tend to think they can do anything, that they are super people, but the truth is that the kind of heat we can experience in eastern North Carolina can put your heart to the test. You don’t need to test your heart, so don’t do that. Just use plain, old fashioned, common sense.”
The North Carolina Governor’s Volunteer Service Awards honor the true spirit of volunteerism in individuals and groups in the public, nonprofit and private sectors who make a significant contribution to their community through volunteer service. This year, Charmaine Reeder, on behalf of the ECU Health’s work with Pitt County Meals on Wheels, Traquavis Harris, Sara Gray Tingen and Angelina Brittle and were honored as award winners.
ECU Health’s Community Health team has worked with the Pitt County Meals on Wheels program for four years, something that began with now vice president of Community Health KaSheta Jackson. What began with a Wednesday/Friday route evolved to opening volunteer opportunities to all ECU Health team members.
Reeder, a Community Health engagement coordinator I, said as a Greenville native, she grew up seeing health care disparities. Now, she said she has the resources and knowledge to do something about it.
“Community Health can connect people to the information they need. We can educate them about chronic health conditions and advocate for them,” she said. “Some people are fearful of doctors or hospitals, but we can help them prioritize their health.”
Her work with Meals on Wheels, she said, has been one way to connect not only with fellow volunteers, but those very community members she hopes to help.
“Our volunteers come from all walks of life. They carve out time from their day to do something, and they show up rain or shine. And the people we visit – they look forward to it. Sometimes we’re the only people they see, and they enjoy the company,” she said. “It gives us a chance to ask them about how they’re doing and connect them with resources. It establishes a consistency in support and connects us to a population we might not otherwise see.”
Reeder said she didn’t know anything about the Governor’s Volunteer Service Award until she looked it up, and then she realized how prestigious it is.
“I was honored to accept on behalf of ECU Health,” she said. “We are making an impact on a population sometimes overlooked.”
The Community Health team is also using the Meals on Wheels program as a platform to pursue other ways to connect community members with the health care services they need.
“We’re working with the ECU Health to provide telehealth services to qualifying individuals on our Wednesday and Friday routes.”
Click here to learn more about volunteer opportunities at ECU Health.
The future of medical care in eastern North Carolina has arrived in the form of 152 new ECU Health Graduate Medical Education (GME) resident physicians and fellows, many of whom said they were excited to live, work and train in a region rich with opportunity and unique clinical experiences.
The new class of resident physicians were welcomed at GME orientation day, with fellows welcomed at an orientation of their own. The separate settings let GME team members tailor training to both groups’ specific experiences and levels of familiarity with medical practice.
“We are so excited to welcome these new physicians to ECU Health, and we’re equally excited to support their development as our future physician leaders,” said Dr. Mary Catherine Turner, associate dean for Graduate Medical Education at the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University and ECU Health Medical Center.
“This also feels like a celebration of how far GME has come over the past 50 years,” she said. “We recruit resident physicians and fellows who are drawn to our mission, and through their time in training they help ECU Health deliver on the mission to improve the health and wellbeing of eastern North Carolina.”
ECU Health offers 38 residency and fellowship programs that provide comprehensive training in primary care and multiple specialty and sub-specialty disciplines.
Physicians will train at ECU Health Medical Center as well as communities across eastern North Carolina. The chance to engage with rural patients was a major draw for Dr. Amarveer Malhi, a family medicine resident physician from Vancouver, British Columbia.
“I’ve seen firsthand how families can be affected by rural hospital closures and the stress people feel when they are left scrambling for care,” Dr. Malhi said. “Seeing ECU Health’s mission to provide acute care in rural areas really told me that I wanted to be here. I’m excited to work with people who have that same goal to provide excellent patient care.”
Dr. Emmanuel Kotey, also a family medicine resident physician, was grateful to match in a small town like the one he grew up in. He attended medical school at Meharry Medical College in Nashville and wanted to get back to his roots and make a difference in patients’ lives.
“Throughout the match process I could see ECU Health had one of the best family medicine programs, and that it takes care of the entire region,” Dr. Kotey said. “I’m looking forward to seeing cases I have never seen before and the chance to help the many patients I’ll care for.”
Dr. Stanton Davis, an emergency medicine resident physician from Atlanta, and Dr. Shelby Goode, an OB-GYN resident physician from Richmond, are a couple who also graduated from Meharry Medical College. The two applied for residency everywhere east of the Mississippi River and discovered ECU Health was not only a great middle ground as far as seeing family, but also the right fit for the couple’s medical philosophy.
“We knew that we wanted to work at an academic hospital,” Dr. Goode said. “The scope and volume of patients we will treat means we are going to see everything we could possibly see. Our interview days went great, and we loved the vibe and the positive energy. Everyone has been so nice and we’re looking forward to getting to know everyone, to finding familiar faces at familiar places.”
Eastern North Carolina also appealed to the couple’s desires outside of work.
“The Level I Trauma Center designation for adult and pediatric care was important to me,” Dr. Davis added. “ECU Health had everything we were looking for academically. The area itself pleasantly surprised us. I think Greenville has everything we want and we are only a few hours from the beach or other places that have what we’re looking for.”
Nine of the new resident physicians graduated from the Brody School of Medicine in May including Dr. Emily Gerlach, one of Dr. Goode’s OB-GYN peers and a native of Nash County. She was excited to get to know her new colleagues and to see familiar faces of patients she treated or even grew up with.
“It’s exciting to stay here in eastern North Carolina and continue to serve this community,” Dr. Gerlach said. “I’ve already treated a woman who I’ve known my whole life. It’s special. They knew me as a child and now they know me as a physician.
“I can’t wait to get my feet wet and be part of these deliveries, be part of care teams who are there for patients in their most vulnerable or happiest moments,” Dr. Gerlach continued. “I’m ready to get started.”
Greenville, N.C. — Martin County and ECU Health are celebrating new, historic investment included in the State Budget to support a regional system of care that will strengthen access to essential health services in eastern North Carolina, including $25 million to re-establish essential health care in Martin County and $15 million of initial support to expand bed capacity at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital in Washington.
The funding for health care in Martin County included in the state budget, along with $35 million in NC Care funds previously allocated to the project, allows ECU Health and Martin County to move forward with efforts to reach a formal agreement.
While this funding marks important progress, additional investment to meet the full $150 million for ECU Health Beaufort is required to fully implement a sustainable regional system of care model needed to improve sustainability and expand inpatient capacity for the surrounding communities.
“This budget represents meaningful progress toward a sustainable model of care for Martin County, Beaufort County and eastern North Carolina,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO of ECU Health. “Rural Americans are facing unprecedented challenges that continue to threaten the viability of health care in their communities. We are grateful for the support of our state elected leaders for infrastructure funding as we pursue rural health initiatives designed to improve the health and well-being of the most vulnerable communities in North Carolina. As the only health care partner with a viable plan, as well as a willingness to re-establish care in Martin County, we remain committed to working with county leaders and state partners to make high-quality local health care a reality on behalf of the patients, families and communities we are honored to serve.”
Leaders from Martin County and ECU Health said they will continue working toward a formal agreement that will define the structure, responsibilities and commitments needed to re-establish essential services in Martin County and advance this regional vision. Importantly, this process will take time as there are contingencies noted in the letter of intent that must be resolved to make this vision a reality. They emphasized that sustained partnership and careful planning will be critical to moving the work forward.
“This investment helps move an important vision forward for Martin County and the surrounding region,” said Drew Batts, County Manager for Martin County. “The effort to acquire this funding has been long and hard fought with Martin County’s team and ECU Health’s team working hand in hand every step of the way. This would not be possible without the efforts of multiple residents and business leaders from Martin County. We appreciate the partnership with ECU Health and the support from state leaders as we continue working toward a long-term solution that restores access to care and serves our residents well into the future.”
Additional details will be shared as planning progresses.
About 100 kids saddled up on June 18 for a bike rodeo at Hillcrest Park in Winterville, where ECU Health Injury Prevention Program team members, Safe Kids Pitt County, Winterville Safe Routes to School, the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NDCOT) and HBCU Coalition of Pitt County teamed up to teach them essential bicycle safety skills and provide protective equipment.
Cycle and Serve, an all-ages bike rodeo, equipment giveaway and service event provided kids with free helmets, reflective gear and other safety equipment. Kids also had the chance to hone their critical cycling safety skills. Courses were set up to teach them braking, turn signaling, how to react to traffic signage and how to safely navigate obstacles like ramps or debris.
“Wearing a properly fitted helmet is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of serious head injury during a crash,” said Ellen Walston, injury prevention program coordinator and Safe Kids Pitt County coordinator at ECU Health. “We are so grateful for the opportunity to educate kids of all ages about cycling and connect them with local partners and resources who put safety first. Keeping our roads safe is everyone’s responsibility, and the skills our participants learned today will play an important role in keeping them safe and healthy on their bicycles.”
Learning bicycle safety is a key step to prevent injury. According to NCDOT data, there were 1,011 crashes involving bicyclists in 2025, the second year in a row with over 1,000 such crashes statewide. About 40% of the 2025 crashes resulted in suspected minor injuries and three percent were fatal.
Along with properly fitted helmets and reflective gear, Walston recommend bicyclists wear bright colored clothing and ride in the same direction as the flow of traffic. She said kids should ride their bikes on sidewalks when possible and that cyclists should always remain aware of their surroundings.
Greenville, N.C. – The 2026 ECU Health Board Quality Leadership Award winners were recognized at the ECU Health Board of Directors meeting held on Tuesday, June 23. These winning teams exemplify ECU Health’s system-wide commitment to achieving zero harm, delivering exceptional experiences and advancing patient outcomes through high-quality, compassionate care.
“These projects exemplify the talent and passion that team members have for addressing complex health care challenges in our rural region,” said Dr. Andy Tewari, chair, ECU Health Board of Directors. “The wide range of teams recognized today shows the scope of their commitment to innovation and serving our patients in eastern North Carolina.”
Projects demonstrating excellence reflected two or more of the following traits:
- Sustained Quality and Safety Improvement: Quantifiable improvement in an organizational priority that advances the goal of zero harm and demonstrates reliability over time.
- Compassion in Action for Safety: Demonstrated teamwork and commitment to protecting patients and team members from harm through consistent application of safety behaviors, communication and a fair and just culture.
- Innovation and Continuous Learning: Implementation of innovative, evidence-based solutions that enhance clinical quality, safety and operational reliability.
- Reduce Variations in Quality Outcomes: Meaningful work that identifies and reduces barriers and promotes quality and safety for all populations served.
Four teams earned awards this year, chosen from a competitive pool of nominations and thoughtfully reviewed by the selection committee.
The winning teams are as follows:
A team from ECU Health Medical Center submitted “Antimicrobial Stewardship Program (ASP) Review of Restricted Antimicrobial Use and Compliance.” The project improved ECU Health Medical Center’s electronic health record and antimicrobial stewardship program workflows. It yielded $270,000 in cost savings and reduced unnecessary antimicrobial use, supported safer patient care and helped fight antimicrobial resistance.
The project leaders were Nicole Nicolsen, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, ASP/Infectious Diseases (ID) pharmacist manager, and Melissa George, PharmD, BCIDP, ADP/ID pharmacist. Team members were David Laurent, PharmD, BCPS, BCIDP, ASP/ID pharmacist, Emily Perez, PharmD, ASP/ID pharmacist, and Allison Field, PharmD, VCID, AAHIVP, ASP/ID pharmacist.
A team from ECU Health North submitted their project “Two-Year Central Line Associated Blood Stream Infection (CLABSI) Free Initiative: Driving Interdisciplinary Excellence Through Daily Nurse Quality Huddles and Rounding.” Efforts from the project led to zero hospital-acquired CLABSI cases.
The Project Leaders were Aparesh Balla, MPH, QS III, Maryland Hicks, BSN, RN, WCC, QNS II, and Chelsey Shearin, BSN, RN, IP II. The team members were Dr. Jude Ojie, hospitalist medical director, Dr. Rudo Gwanzura, chief of staff, Wanda Neathery, manager of patient care services, Jennifer Pilgreen, manager of patient care services, Karen Liles, RN, vascular access team, and Ann Strickland, RN, vascular access team.
A team from ECU Health Physicians submitted “Improving Hypertension Control in Ambulatory Care.” The project used a data-driven approach to improve blood pressure test accuracy, repeat measurement and home monitoring documentation by standardizing how blood pressure tests are conducted.
Project leaders were Crystal Ashley, RN, BSN, and Dr. Samuel Moskowitz. Team members were Marsha Becker, RN MSN, Dr. Dean Miner, Jessica Walker, MSHIIM, BSPH, Jason Monroe, MBA, Wendy VanLandingham, RN, BSN, Jennifer Jones, RN, and Drillious Gay, RN, MSN.
A team from ECU Health Ambulatory Quality Services submitted “Improving Outcomes: A Patient-Centered Approach to Hypertension Management.” The project used a community-funded initiative in July 2025, to improve home monitoring for blood pressure with blood pressure cuffs, patient education and integrated patient-entered readings through MyChart.
The project leader was Gail Scheller, RN, AMB-BC, AE-C, Ambulatory Quality Nurse Specialist. Team members were Barbara Adams, manager, Outer Banks Health Family Medicine – Avon, Stephanie Huband, manager, Outer Banks Health Family Medicine – Kitty Hawk, Cynthia O’Neal, manager, Outer Banks Health Family Medicine – Manteo, Sean Dunigan, manager, Outer Banks Health Family Medicine – Nags Head East and Kristen Daniels, manager, Outer Banks Health Internal Medicine – Nags Head.
“These teams worked with purpose to build the tools, dataflow and support that empower our care teams to do their best work for patients in service to ECU Health’s mission and enterprise goal of clinical excellence,” said Dr. Niti Armistead, Chief Clinical Officer and Chief Quality Officer, ECU Health. “Their efforts remind us that quality improvement is one of the most powerful ways to bring meaning and joy into the work of caring for patients.”
