ECU Health’s Blue Zones Partnership has been awarded the North Carolina Hospital Association’s 2024 Highsmith Award for Innovation. Named for Dr. John Highsmith, the first president of NCHA, this award is presented to a member institution or to an individual/team employed by an NCHA member institution in recognition of innovation that creates value for patients/consumers of healthcare.
ECU Health received the award July 18 at NCHA’s Summer Membership Meeting. Led by Dr. Christina Bowen, board certified in family medicine, lifestyle medicine and integrative medicine, and in partnership with the communities, this innovation shows ECU Health breaking down barriers to encourage healthier lifestyles, better health and longevity by partnering with Blue Zones.
“It is truly a blessing to accept this award on behalf of the teams at ECU Health who work tirelessly to live our mission of improving the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina,” said Dr. Bowen. “ECU Health has a vision to become the national model for academic rural health and wellness. Moments like this are a reflection of the progress we continue to make in pursuit of that vision.”
Blue Zones is a company founded by Dan Buettner, an internationally recognized researcher, explorer, and National Geographic fellow to implement new lifestyle choices to boost the health and well-being of entire communities by making lasting change in the places where people live, work, learn and play.
Together, ECU Health and Blue Zones champion a community-led well-being initiative that convenes key stakeholders and national well-being experts to introduce evidence-based programs and collaborate to bring about permanent changes to the environment, policy and social networks across eastern North Carolina.
The four Blue Zones initiatives implemented by ECU Health include the Team Member Blue Zones Challenge, Plant-Forward Meals, Wellness Center Blue Zones, and targeted initiatives in Bertie, Chowan and Dare County. ECU Health is prioritizing the community and engaging in partnerships with local foodbanks and churches to spread the word of the initiative – and make sure the community knows that healthy, plant-forward food is not only nutrient-dense, but also delicious.
Through their faith based partnerships, ECU Health has started a Blue Zones initiative with local pastors in the Pitt County area to bring these concepts of health and well-being to their congregations. The partnership has resulted in tremendous improvements and ECU Health will continue to partner with Blue Zones to implement strategies for holistic well-being.
ECU Health recognized the importance of having an executive leader with a sole focus on team member and clinician well-being, which is why Dr. Bowen was named their first Chief Well-being Officer. Dr. Bowen’s scope includes ECU Health’s lifestyle medicine clinics, wellness centers, and internal Employee Assistant Program.
These initiatives are just the beginning of the ECU Health mission-driven dream of their service area becoming environments that improve health and well-being.
Greenville, N.C. – The Nurse Residency Program at ECU Health Medical Center achieved re-accreditation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) Commission on Accreditation Practice Transition Programs (PTAP) through July 2028. ANCC Practice Transition Accreditation validates hospital residency or fellowship programs that transition registered nurses (RNs) and advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) into new practice settings that meet rigorous, evidence-based standards for quality and excellence.
“I am proud to recognize and celebrate the incredible contributions of our ECU Health nurses who exemplify the mission, vision and values of ECU Health through their exceptional care in our hospitals and clinics,” said Trish Baise, DNP, RN, NEA-BC, FACHE, chief nursing executive, ECU Health. “The Nurse Residency Program at ECU Health Medical Center plays a crucial role in recruiting and retaining excellent nurses that are passionate about serving eastern North Carolina. I take pride in our ECU Health nursing community, and I am grateful to every nurse who chooses ECU Health as their professional home.”
Nurses in accredited transition programs, like ECU Health Medical Center’s, experience curricula that promote continued knowledge, skills and professional behaviors necessary to deliver safe, high-quality care. The Nurse Residency Program at ECU Health Medical Center started in 2009 with the goal of offering high-quality continued learning for nurses in new clinical settings. The year-long program includes about 200 new graduates per year. The program’s one-year retention rate is about 87 percent; the national average is about 67 percent.
“ECU Health takes great pride in the Nurse Residency Program being acknowledged by ANCC as a premier transition program for nurses,” said Takisha Williams, DNP, RN, NPD-BC, nursing education specialist and director of the Nurse Residency Program at ECU Health Medical Center. “Our program is grounded in evidence-based practices to foster exceptional nursing care. ANCC accreditation provides nurse residents and fellows with confidence in our program, ensuring a structured path to development, rigorous evaluation methods, and measurable learner outcomes.”
ANCC accreditation gives nurse residents and fellows assurance that ECU Health offers an elevated transition program with a clear course of instruction and reliable evaluation methods. With ANCC Accreditation, ECU Health’s transitioning nurses gain the skills and confidence needed to perform effectively within a new practice setting.
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health Medical Center Electrophysiology Lab is the first hospital lab in North Carolina to earn accreditation by the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission (IAC) in Cardiac Electrophysiology in the areas of Testing and Ablation, Device Implantation and Left Atrial Appendage Occlusion. IAC accreditation is a “seal of approval” that patients can rely on as an indicator of consistent quality care and a commitment to continuous improvement.
Accreditation by the IAC means that ECU Health Medical Center Electrophysiology Lab has undergone an intensive application and review process and is found to be in compliance with published standards, thus demonstrating a commitment to quality patient care. Comprised of a detailed self-evaluation followed by a thorough review by a panel of medical experts, the IAC accreditation process enables both the operational and technical components of the facility to be assessed, including representative case studies and their corresponding final reports.
“ECU Health is dedicated to setting a national standard for rural health care and high-quality cardiovascular care,” said Jay Briley, president, ECU Health Medical Center. “Achieving IAC accreditation for the ECU Health Medical Center Electrophysiology Lab not only underscores our commitment to excellence but also highlights the unique advantage of offering advanced care in a rural setting. This milestone reaffirms our mission to enhance the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina by providing the latest technology and medical services close to home.”
Each year, more than one million cardiac device and ablation procedures are performed for the treatment of heart rhythm disorders worldwide. Cardiac electrophysiology procedures are performed by facilities that specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of heart rhythm disorders to relieve symptoms or regulate heart rate and rhythm. Cardiac electrophysiology is comprised of specialized diagnostic testing and therapeutic procedures performed by highly skilled health care professionals. The training and experience of the cardiac electrophysiology specialist performing the procedure, the type of equipment used and the quality assessment metrics each facility is required to measure, all contribute to a positive patient outcome.
“As a cardiologist and electrophysiologist, I know first-hand the importance of having high-quality cardiovascular services close to home for those who live in eastern North Carolina,” said Dr. John Catanzaro, professor and chief, Division of Cardiology, the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, director of East Carolina Heart Institute, ECU Health Medical Center. “This new accreditation underscores our dedication to delivering exceptional patient care through adherence to the highest standards of quality and safety. Patients across eastern North Carolina can take heart knowing the ECU Health Medical Center Electrophysiology Lab has the highest-quality expertise and personnel available to care for them.”
Greenville, N.C. – Michael Waldrum, MD, MSc, MBA, ECU Health chief executive officer and dean of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, has been named chair-elect of the AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) 2024-25 Board of Directors. The incoming board’s term begins Nov. 12, 2024, and will end November 2025, after which Dr. Waldrum will assume the role of board chair.
Dr. Michael Waldrum
Dr. Waldrum was named chief executive officer of ECU Health in 2015 and named dean of Brody in 2021. He previously served as president and CEO of The University of Arizona Health Network and as CEO of the University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham. Dr. Waldrum is a specialist in critical care medicine and pulmonology and is trained in internal medicine. He received his medical degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine and completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota.
Dr. Waldrum has served as chair of the AAMC’s Council of Teaching Hospitals and Health Systems (now called the Council of Academic Health System Executives) since 2022, where his unique rural health care perspective helped shape discussions around the complex issues facing rural communities across the nation and how academic medicine can help solve those challenges.
“I am extremely honored to serve as chair-elect of the prestigious AAMC Board of Directors, which has long been a powerful voice in academic medicine,” said Dr. Waldrum. “I look forward to continuing to work closely with highly respected academic health leaders from across the nation who are passionate about ensuring quality health care is available to all, including those living in rural communities. While there are certainly complex challenges facing health care nationally, the AAMC’s collective expertise helps chart new paths forward that improve the lives of many. It is humbling to be a part of this important work.”
The AAMC is a nonprofit association dedicated to improving the health of people everywhere through medical education, health care, medical research, and community collaborations. Its members are all 158 U.S. medical schools accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education; 13 accredited Canadian medical schools; approximately 400 teaching hospitals and health systems, including Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and more than 70 academic societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC leads and serves America’s medical schools and teaching hospitals and the millions of individuals across academic medicine, including more than 193,000 full-time faculty members, 96,000 medical students, 153,000 resident physicians, and 60,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the biomedical sciences. Following a 2022 merger, the Alliance of Academic Health Centers and the Alliance of Academic Health Centers International broadened the AAMC’s U.S. membership and expanded its reach to international academic health centers.
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University celebrated the graduation of the first ever cohort of resident physicians in the Rural Family Medicine Residency Program on June 30, before officially welcoming the latest class of resident physicians into the newly expanded program July 1, marking two important milestones in a program uniquely designed to help meet the academic rural health mission.
Launched in 2021, the Rural Family Medicine Residency Program provides recent medical school graduates interested in serving as family medicine physicians in rural communities first-hand experience in caring for patients in the kind of under-served settings they plan to practice in upon completion of their residency training.
The inaugural class of Rural Family Medicine Residency Program graduates and their plans for practicing are as follows:
- Dr. Jim Jaralene Porquez will start a new family medicine outpatient practice located in the ECU Health Multispecialty Clinic – Kenansville and provide hospitalist coverage at ECU Health Duplin Hospital.
- Dr. Zeel Shah will serve as a hospitalist at ECU Health Beaufort Hospital and will also provide precepting to resident physicians at Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center.
- Dr. Raza Syed will join a sports medicine fellowship program in Spokane, Washington, with plans to return to North Carolina after his one-year fellowship commitment to start practice.
- Dr. Amy White Jones will move to rural western Minnesota to practice outpatient medicine at Sanford Health System.
“I could not be more proud of the four inaugural graduates from the ECU Health Rural Family Medicine Residency Program, who have all embraced the rural mission and helped pioneer this important program,” said Dr. Audy Whitman, program director of the Rural Family Medicine Residency Program. “Each of these physicians have a passion for serving rural communities and have embraced the challenge of providing care in areas where their services are critically needed. Their unique training has given them a unique understanding of how to deliver high-quality primary care in rural environments and I take immense pride in knowing they will have an incredible impact in the communities in which they will soon practice.”
Despite rural communities representing nearly 20% of the U.S. population, only 10% of U.S. physicians practice in rural areas. The ECU Health Rural Family Medicine Residency Program aims to increase the number of physicians practicing in rural America, especially eastern North Carolina. Studies show that family medicine resident physicians who spent 50% or more of their training time in rural settings were at least five times more likely than resident physicians with no rural training to practice in a rural setting.
The program exposes resident physicians to the breadth of family medicine — in both an academic medical center environment and in rural environments — so they are well-prepared to provide comprehensive care in a variety of practice settings. The resident physicians spend a majority of their first year of training at ECU Health Medical Center in Greenville before spending the next two years training at a regional location where they build connections with their patients and become integrated into the communities they serve.
The Rural Family Medicine Residency Program also received recent approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to expand its class size and add an additional training site location, bringing the program to nine residents per class across three sites: in Ahoskie at the Roanoke Chowan Community Health Center and ECU Health Roanoke-Chowan Hospital; in Duplin County at Goshen Medical Center in Beulaville and ECU Health Duplin Hospital in Kenansville; and in Roanoke Rapids at Rural Health Group Halifax Medical Specialists and ECU Health North Hospital, which is the newest training site in the program.
The newest Rural Family Medicine Residency Program class includes:
- Dr. Flora Danquah, Ahoskie Site
- Dr. Danh Pham, Ahoskie Site
- Dr. Saima Shawl, Ahoskie Site
- Dr. Andre Mancheno-Rubio, Duplin Site
- Dr. Shelley Matthews, Duplin Site
- Dr. Jaya Purathur, Duplin site
- Dr. Tanweer Hoosen, Roanoke Rapids Site
- Dr. Tobi Okafor, Roanoke Rapids Site
- Dr. Joy Onyeanuna, Roanoke Rapids Site
“This is an exciting time at ECU Health and the Brody School of Medicine as we are truly charting the future of rural academic health care in the spirit of the shared mission to improve the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO of ECU Health and dean of Brody. “When resident physicians practice and train in rural communities, they develop an intimate appreciation for the importance of rural health care. The program’s continued growth is a testament to all who have worked hard to make the Rural Family Medicine Residency Program a reality and it is humbling to know our organization is making a profound impact on rural communities through these innovative efforts.”
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health Medical Center has once again earned Magnet® recognition, which is awarded every four years and represents the highest national honor for professional nursing practice, marking its third consecutive successful accreditation for exemplary nursing practice. The American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program® distinguishes health care organizations that meet rigorous standards for nursing excellence.
“Earning Magnet recognition is a tremendous honor and reflects our commitment to delivering the highest quality of care to eastern North Carolina,” said Trish Baise, chief nursing executive, ECU Health. “Our repeated achievement of Magnet recognition is an incredible source of pride for our nurses and drives our entire nursing program to strive harder each day to meet the health care needs of the people we serve This prestigious designation is a testament to the dedication, professionalism and compassion of our outstanding nursing team in collaboration with our interprofessional partners across the health system.”
Research demonstrates that Magnet recognition provides specific benefits to health care organizations and their communities, such as:
- Higher patient satisfaction with nurse communication, availability of help and receipt of discharge information.
- Lower risk of 30-day mortality and lower failure to rescue rates.
- Higher job satisfaction among nurses.
- Lower nurse reports of intentions to leave their positions.
Magnet recognition is the gold standard for nursing excellence. To achieve initial Magnet recognition, organizations must pass a rigorous and lengthy process that demands widespread participation from leadership and staff. This process includes an electronic application, written patient care documentation, an on-site visit and a review by the Commission on Magnet Recognition.
Health care organizations must reapply for Magnet recognition every four years based on adherence to Magnet concepts and demonstrated improvements in patient care and quality. An organization reapplying for Magnet recognition must provide documented evidence to demonstrate how staff members sustained and improved Magnet concepts, performance and quality over the four-year period since the organization received its most recent recognition.
“ECU Health nurses carry forth a legacy of excellence, which was first recognized by the Magnet® Recognition Program in 2013,” said Brian Floyd, chief operating officer, ECU Health. “Since then, our nurses have continually raised the bar for patient care and inspire every member of our team to strive for excellence every day. This year’s Magnet recognition affirms our commitment to meeting our mission of improving the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina. We could not be more proud of the excellent nursing teams in collaboration with our interprofessional partners that made this recognition possible for the third time.”
Greenville, N.C. – Tara Stroud, DNP, APRN, NNP-BC, NEA-BC, vice president of Women’s and Children’s Services, James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center, was recently awarded the March of Dimes Excellence in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Leadership Award. Stroud accepted the national award at the Synova 2024 NICU Leadership Forum in Charlotte Harbor, Florida.
“I am deeply honored to receive the March of Dimes Excellence in NICU Leadership Award, especially knowing that my team nominated me for an award that recognizes excellence of care in a population that is so important to me,” said Stroud. “Our focus on improving the quality of care for neonates is unwavering, and this national award affirms that ECU Health is a model for exceptional care, particularly in rural communities. I am excited to help lead ECU Health in solidifying our vision for women’s and children’s care across eastern North Carolina.”
The March of Dimes Excellence in NICU Leadership Award honors NICU leaders who effectively support their team, advance the care of patients and the operation of their unit, have strategic vision and have excellent communication skills.
The NICU at Maynard Children’s Hospital offers the highest level of care for the most fragile of patients and is staffed with a team of experts who care for critically ill or premature newborns. Allyson Yelverton, director of Patient Care Services at the Level IV NICU, led the nomination initiative for Stroud’s team.
“Tara is an innovative leader who has a vision for the future, centered around the health and well-being of our patients,” said Kathryn Jarvis, senior director, Patient Care Services, Maynard Children’s Hospital. “She has helped grow high-performing leaders across the organization and serves with a passion for the patients and families we care for every single day. We were excited to nominate her and are so pleased that she was selected for this deserving recognition.”
An eastern North Carolina native, Stroud joined ECU Health in 2006 after receiving her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from East Carolina University. Stroud earned a Master of Science in Nursing as a neonatal nurse practitioner and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Stroud worked in the NICU for many years and as senior administrator of Children’s Services at Maynard Children’s Hospital and was named the vice president of Women’s and Children’s Services in February. After becoming vice president, Maynard Children’s Hospital became the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center serving eastern North Carolina.
“We at ECU Health are proud of Tara for being awarded the March of Dimes Excellence in NICU Leadership Award,” said Trish Baise, chief nursing executive at ECU Health. “Tara’s recognition at the national level is a testament to her unwavering commitment and the exceptional work her team does to advance the quality of care we provide. We are fortunate to have mission-driven individuals like Tara who help us lead the way in becoming the national model for academic rural health care.”
Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health is partnering with Food Lion Feeds, Sodexo and the ECU Health Foundation to provide free meals for kids, teens and people with disabilities as part of the Summer Meal Program. Meals will be available in Greenville, Bethel and Ahoskie. The selected sites this year were chosen based on the need in each county, existing partnerships and the social vulnerability index at each location.
During the school year, many kids and teens receive free or reduced-price meals. When schools close for the summer, those meals disappear, leaving families to choose between putting the next meal on the table or paying for other necessities like utilities or medical care. While over 57% of students in North Carolina receive free or reduced lunch, 66% of Pitt County students and over 90% of Hertford County students receive free or reduced lunch.
Meals will be available until food runs out each day at the following locations:
- Greenville: English Chapel Free Will Baptist Church – 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday-Friday from June 10 to Aug. 23. The location will be closed July 22-26.
- Ahoskie: Calvary Missionary Baptist Church – 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday-Friday from June 10 to Aug. 23. The location will be closed June 19 and July 4-5.
- Bethel: Bethel Youth Activity Center – 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday-Thursday from June 17-July 17. The location will be closed July 3-7.
ECU Health has offered the Summer Meal Program since 2021, providing nearly 12,000 free meals to kids and teens during the summer months. In 2023, 51 ECU Health team members served more than 2,800 meals to kids in need.
No registration is required. For more information about the ECU Health Summer Meal Program, please email [email protected].
Greenville, N.C. – Project SEARCH, an educational program offered at ECU Health Medical Center, is proud to announce nine students recently graduated from the program: Camarion Allred, Jordan Bell, Kevin Caudle, Caitlyn Ferry, Region Jenkins, Nicholas Tripp, Xavier Vaughan-Holliday, Eric Williams and Maxwell Wilson. Project SEARCH is a one-year internship program for students with developmental and intellectual disabilities during their last year of high school with the goal of providing real-world practical skills and increasing the chances of competitive employment.
“ECU Health is very proud to host Project SEARCH to bring educational opportunities to everyone in the East,” said Doris Hill, Project SEARCH coordinator at ECU Health. “This program gives students the opportunity to learn job skills that can be applied after graduation and brings diversity to our organization and the local workforce. We are proud of the tremendous growth of our nine graduates throughout the program, and we are all very proud of their accomplishments.”
The Project SEARCH program at ECU Health Medical Center began in 2015 through partnerships with Pitt County Schools, RHA Health Services and the North Carolina Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services. Students complete internships in various departments at the hospital, including the ECHO Lab, Endoscopy Center, Environmental Services, SurgiCenter, hospital cafeterias, Hospitality and the Neuroscience Intermediate Unit.
“Project SEARCH gives our students support to transition into the workforce through skills development and a customized job search in the second half of the program,” said Katie Houmard, Project SEARCH instructor. “This program grows confidence and independence in all our students, and many of our graduates have gained competitive employment in our community. I am so proud of all our students and am excited to see them continue to grow and become employed.”
The employment rate for youth with disabilities is about 60 to 70 percent less than youth without disabilities, according to the Office of Disability Employment Policy. Project SEARCH has proven results with a 65 percent employment and 90 percent retention rate nationally.
Students who participate in the program are enrolled at various Pitt County high schools including J.H. Rose, D.H. Conley, South Central, Farmville Central, North Pitt and Ayden-Grifton. This is the ninth graduating class.
The Project SEARCH program began in 1996 at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and was developed as a means to meet entry-level employment needs at CCHMC, support their diversity initiative and partner with schools and community services agencies. Project SEARCH is now an international program with over 716 program sites in 48 states and 11 countries.
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) 39th Annual Celebration Broadcast, which celebrates the thousands of children in eastern North Carolina who have received treatment at James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital at ECU Health Medical Center this past year, raised $1,258,511 Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals’ longtime television partner, WITN, which produces the fundraiser, shared the stories of complex illnesses, traumatic injuries and the quality medical care Miracle Children received from Maynard Children’s Hospital.
“Caring individuals, community groups, businesses and others show how much they care about children by providing generous contributions to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals,” said Elise Ironmonger, director of programs, ECU Health Foundation. “In eastern North Carolina, this generosity enables the Maynard Children’s Hospital to see beyond obvious treatment and save more lives. The care and high-quality treatment received here will continue into the future through this year’s amazing donors.”
This year, an anonymous donor offered to match every donation up to $100,000. The family has a passion for children in eastern North Carolina and wants to ensure every child has the best chance possible to get better. They are grateful for all of the hard work, dedication and compassion that the team provides at Maynard Children’s Hospital and hopes their contribution provided an extra incentive for people to open their hearts and donate.
The theme of this year’s Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals campaign was “Change Kids’ Health, Change the Future,” which shows how important donations are in helping shape a healthier tomorrow for patients served at Maynard Children’s Hospital. Major contributors to the yearly event, held June 1-2 to raise money for Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, featured contributions from long-time supporters from across eastern North Carolina including Speedway, part of 7-Eleven, Inc., Jersey Mike’s Subs, Log a Load for Kids and Walmart/Sam’s Clubs.
The Celebration Broadcast featured guests and sponsors who have contributed during the past year, as well as callers who pledged their support.
Earlier this year, the Music for Miracles Radiothon on Inner Banks Media Stations raised $109,703 during the 27th year of their special event, bringing their total raised to more than $3.9 million. The Inner Banks Media radio stations include: 107.9 WNCT; Talk 96.3 and 103.7; Oldies 94.1 and 102.7; and 94.3 The Game.
The largest donor to this year’s campaign came from a long-time corporate partner of CMN Hospitals, Speedway, part of 7-Eleven, Inc., which raised $260,310 in their ninth year of partnership with Maynard Children’s Hospital. The largest fundraising event for our local Children’s Miracle Network program was held by Jersey Mike’s Subs during their annual Month and Day of Giving. Collectively, the 17 participating stores in eastern North Carolina raised $148,196.
Long time CMN supporter, Log a Load for Kids, held their 27th annual sporting clays shoot on May 3-4 and raised $80,000. These funds came from sponsorships, including title sponsors, Colony Tire and Pinnacle Trailer Sales, and had over 600 participants.
Other major donors and their gifts included Walmart/Sam’s Clubs with $155,392; Panda Express with $41,567; Ace Hardware with $33,350; Extra Life with $29,334; Dance Arts Theater with $19,965 and Publix with $15,666.
Other campaign contributors were Dairy Queen with $14,273; Barbour Hendrick Honda Greenville and The Electric Cooperatives of Eastern NC both with $10,000; REMAX with $6,375; Ollie’s with $6,283; American Builders; Pepsi/Minges Bottling Group; Eastern Radiologists, Inc.; and Central Heating and Air Conditioning each contributed $5,000.
Additional gifts were from: Phi Mu Chapter of ECU with $4,791; Baynor with $4,000; Miller and Friends Lemonade Stand with $3,157; Grady White Boats with $3,000; Care-O-World Enrichment Learning Center with $2,231; Oasis Shrine Temple and brothers, Arun and Ajay Ajmera each with $1,500; Action Advertising, Equipment Plus, Ricci Law Firm; Builder’s Discount Center, Harris, Creech, Ward and Blackerby, PA, Stallings Plumbing, Heating and AC and Coldwell Banker’s Sea Coast each gave $1,000.
The local CMN Hospitals fundraising program is staffed and supported by the ECU Health Foundation, the non-profit charitable corporation that serves as the custodian for all financial gifts and bequests to ECU Health. The ECU Health Foundation oversees allocation of all donated funds.