When New Hanover County commissioners vote Monday on an agreement to sell NHRMC to Novant Health, they also will be asked to approve their initial picks for a community foundation in charge of the sale proceeds for the county.

Some of the names on that recommended list are familiar ones from the yearlong process of evaluating New Hanover Regional Medical Center's future.

Under the agreement the county gets five seats on the 11-member board that would oversee a $1.25 billion endowment from the roughly $1.9 billion sale -- including retaining an estimated $400 million of NHRMC's cash.

According to agenda document released Friday ahead of Monday's commissioners meeting, the five recommended picks for those five seats are:

• Spence Broadhurst, vice-chair of the Partnership Advisory Group, president of the Eastern North Carolina region for First National Bank, and former Wilmington mayor;
• Virginia Adams, a member of the Partnership Advisory Group and former dean of the UNCW School of Nursing;
• Hannah Gage, a member of the Partnership Advisory Group and former UNC Board of Governors chair;
• Stedman Stevens, CEO of VU Systems and former NHRMC trustee;
• and Shannon Winslow, strategic account executive for RxBenefits Inc.

(Click here to see the agenda, and go to page 33.)

Elected officials and NHRMC trustees, which includes the PAG's other co-chair Barb Biehner, are not allowed to serve on the new foundation board, and county commissioners implemented a two-year cooling off period before those leaving office would be eligible for the group.

To create staggared terms, Broadhurst, Adams and Gage would start with three-year terms, and Stevens and Winslow would have two-year terms.

The NHRMC Board of Trustees on Thursday evening voted 16-1 for the sale agreement.

As part of that vote, the current hospital board approved members for the new so-called "regional local board" that would oversee the hospital after the deal's closing, which NHRMC and Novant's CEOs on Thursday said could take place in the first quarter of next year if the agreement is approved.

That new hospital board would get to pick the other six members of the community foundation board.

Member of the new hospital board, approved by the current hospital trustees and to be considered by county commissioners Monday, are:

10 existing, eligible NHRMC Board of Trustees members:
• Rhonda Amoroso
• Barb Biehner
• Dana Cook
• Brian Eckel
• Jerome Fennel
• Mitch Lamm
• Tony McGhee
• John Pace
• Howard Rockness
• Jason Thompson

3 providers on medical staff of hospitals:
• Dr. Neal Beard
• Dr. Heather Davis
• Dr. Michael Jaskolka

1 CHA representatives (Carolinas Healthcare Associates, which runs the NHRMC Physician Group)
• Dr. Bill Smith

1 UNC representative appointed by UNC CEO or dean of the UNC School of Medicine:
• TBD

2 regional representatives (1 from Brunswick and 1 from Pender)
• David Williams (Pender)
• Thomas Bellamy (Brunswick)
 

NHC Commissioners Vote

Monday, Oct. 5, 4 p.m.
New Hanover County Historic Courthouse, 24 N. Third St., in Room 301
The public can attend the meeting, but capacity will be limited due to COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines will be followed. The meeting will be available to view live on NHCTV.com and NHCTV’s cable stations: Spectrum Channel 13 and Charter Channel 5.

Correction: This version updates the CHA (Carolinas Healthcare Associates) board pick mention. The CHA board is the local board of the NHRMC Physician Group and is an NHRMC corporation.