Greenville, N.C. – Today, ECU Health Medical Center celebrated its 75th anniversary, honoring a legacy of care, compassion and service to eastern North Carolina while looking ahead to the next chapter of academic medicine, rural healthcare and regional transformation.
Since opening in 1951 as a small regional hospital, ECU Health Medical Center has grown into the flagship academic medical center for ECU Health, a 9-hospital, 1,708-bed health system serving 1.4 million people across 29 counties in eastern North Carolina.
ECU Health celebrated that milestone with an anniversary luncheon on Friday in Greenville, which marked an opportunity for community supporters, team members and leaders past and present to share remarks and reflect on the hospital’s evolution to a 974-bed Level I adult and pediatric trauma center providing the most advanced care in the eastern part of the state and serving as the teaching hospital for the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
The celebration, which featured a display of the Medical Center’s history that will be installed in the hospital’s lobby, highlighted the Medical Center’s evolution and its enduring commitment to meeting the healthcare needs of the region. At the center of that 75-year history are the providers, team members, volunteers, community leaders and supporters whose contributions helped the Medical Center grow alongside the communities it serves.
“This anniversary is a moment to celebrate not only what ECU Health Medical Center has become, but also what it represents,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, chief executive officer of ECU Health and dean of the Brody School of Medicine. “75 years ago, leaders planted the first seeds of what would eventually grow into eastern North Carolina’s premier medical facility. They understood back then what this region needed and advocated tirelessly for the hospital’s growth. That legacy lives on in the passionate healthcare professionals who selflessly serve their friends, neighbors and loved ones. They carry it forward through the care and compassion they bring to our communities every day.”
Through visionary leadership and the contributions from team members and community supporters, ECU Health Medical Center has grown from a county-owned hospital built with federal Hill-Burton Act grant funding into a national leader in rural healthcare delivery, education and training. The anniversary celebrated milestones such as becoming the teaching hospital for the Brody School of Medicine in 1977, pioneering procedures like the first robotic heart valve surgery in the United States in 2000 and caring for the community during the COVID-19 pandemic and more. Across these and countless other milestones, the Medical Center has remained a pillar of high-quality care for Greenville, Pitt County and the surrounding region.
“For 75 years, this hospital has grown not simply for the sake of growth, but because the people of eastern North Carolina needed it to,” said Brian Floyd, president and chief operating officer, ECU Health. “This hospital is what it is today because generations of mission-driven people recognized the immense needs of our region and took on the obligation of caring for a large rural population. That same sense of purpose will guide our continued growth as the needs of the region evolve. Today, we are building the national model for academic rural healthcare because the leaders of yesterday accepted the challenge to serve eastern North Carolina.”
While the celebration honored the past, it also underscored ECU Health’s vision for the future: to become the national model for rural health and wellness by creating a premier, trusted health care delivery and education system that meets the unique needs of its communities. That vision includes expanding access, improving outcomes and working to ensure high-quality care is available close to home for the next 75 years and beyond. Charting that path forward means leaning on the same relationships and community partnerships which have allowed the Medical Center to become what it is today.
“ECU Health Medical Center’s growth and success would not have been possible without the investment, trust and continued support of Pitt County and our surrounding communities,” said Jay Briley. “The county and community leaders who helped establish this hospital invested in more than a building. They invested in access to care, economic vitality and the future of eastern North Carolina. We are grateful to local government leaders, healthcare professionals, donors and residents whose enduring partnerships have helped us grow and respond to changing needs. That support continues to advance our Mission through medical education, research, care delivery and innovation.”