UNCW graduate students in the master’s of public administration (MPA) program  will host a free health care reform panel discussion with local health care industry professionals like Jack Barto, the president and CEO of New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

The panel discussion will be moderated by StarNews columnist Si Cantwell on Thursday Aug. 27 at 5:30 p.m. at UNCW’s Warwick Center.

When the students initially came up with the idea of hosting the event, they did not expect to have an overwhelming response. But while the national and local coverage of the issue has sparked fiery debates, the students and their co-hosts, the American Society of Public Administrators’ southeastern North Carolina chapter have had to re-think their event and move it to the 250-seat UNCW Warwick Center.

“What’s more appropriate now than health care reform?” said Dr. Tom Barth, MPA faculty member.

Barth emphasizes that the panel discussion will not have any politicians on it. Rather, nurses, doctors, hospital administrators, and insurance company representatives will weigh in with their perspective about what the proposed national health care reform will mean.

The panel will include: Dr. Heston LaMar, the emergency department medical director for Cape Fear Hospital, Jack Barto, the president and CEO of New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Suzanne Wertman, a certified nurse midwife, Dr. Kae Livsey, UNCW professor of nursing, Dr. Marsha Fretwell, a geriatrician, William Graham, a former representative for the World Health Organization, Vicky Eckenrode, the health writer for the StarNews, Jonathan Taylor, an insurance consultant, and Hughes Waren, the president of N orth Carolina Underwriters Association.

“One of our goals, in an hour and a half, is to get some good questions and good perspectives,” Barth said recognizing the challenge of addressing such a large issue. To help steer the discussion, the organizers plan to set the tone at the beginning encouraging the audience to bring questions not speeches, Barth said. Additionally, participants have emailed questions ahead to the organizers and the StarNews.