Dr. Michael Waldrum
For generations, the people of eastern North Carolina have trusted local hospitals and clinics to be there when they need care the most. At ECU Health, we honor that trust by sustaining access to high-quality care across rural communities. Our health system was built with a clear purpose: to ensure rural hospitals continue operating despite intensifying financial realities unique to rural America. We are successful because of our dedicated team of doctors, nurses and health care professionals.
Today, that purpose is more urgent than ever. Nearly half of rural hospitals nationwide now operate in the red, and hundreds are vulnerable to closure. Rural communities like ours are disproportionately affected by changes in reimbursement, escalating supply costs, workforce shortages, and chronic underinvestment in infrastructure. At the same time, rural Americans face higher rates of chronic disease, lower incomes, and limited access to vital services like maternal care and cancer treatment.
Despite these pressures, ECU Health remains resolute in our mission to improve the health and well-being of the East. To meet these challenges, we are:
- Advocating for state and federal investment to build and sustain access to care.
- Supporting patients as they navigate increasingly complex insurance environments, including Affordable Care Act plans, Medicare Advantage, and Medicaid.
- Strengthening relationships with payors, advocating for rural appropriate reimbursement models that reflect the true cost of delivering care.
- Preserving access to care for socially or financially vulnerable patients.
- Preparing for heightened regulatory oversight and more complex compliance expectations, while adapting to structural changes in state and federal programs.
- Educating, training and investing in physicians and other health care professionals who deliver the high-quality care rural communities deserve.
But no health system can safeguard rural health alone. Payors and policymakers have a critical role to play. Sustainable rural health care requires fair reimbursement, predictable funding, and policies that recognize the realities of serving geographically dispersed communities. When rural hospitals are forced to cut services or close, the consequences ripple far beyond health care. Jobs disappear. Businesses struggle. Families leave. Economic potential erodes. Investment today prevents a higher cost to everyone down the road.
At ECU Health, we’re committed to creating an optimistic future for our communities. We’re making progress in our journey to build the national model for academic rural health care, including earning system accreditation from the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer, teaching the next generation of health care professionals, and earning the 2025 Press Ganey Human Experience Guardian of Excellence Award.
With our partners, we are focused on providing high-quality care to patients, communities, and the region for decades to come. Because we know access to high-quality, local care is not simply a health issue – it is the foundation of strong, resilient communities.
Dr. Michael Waldrum, CEO of ECU Health and Dean of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University