UNC Health Care announced a new partnership with Nash Health Care in Rocky Mount on Monday. The partnership allows Nash to access some of the resources of the larger UNC system, including medical supplies and management services.
The partnership gives UNC 0.2% of Nash's annual revenue, or an estimated $400,000-a-year to start.
"UNC's track record with the hospitals in their system was the most impressive to us and it just seemed like the best fit," said Larry Chewing, CEO of Nash Health Care. "We went and visited other hospitals in their system and came back from all that research saying 'UNC looks like the best fit'."
Chewing says UNC was in competition with four other hospitals, but the university's history of similar medical partnerships helped their cause.
The main drive of the partnership is to be privy to UNC's managerial knowledge base, to be able to say, "...how do you do it at your hospital?" said Chewing. "How do you make improvements to your hospital? Help us analyze how we can bring your expertise to bear at our community hospital in Rocky Mount."
Chewing also hopes the partnership will make Nash Health Care more attractive to graduates of U-N-C's medical school.
Nash operates five different facilities with a total of 403 beds. The partnership is scheduled to begin in April. Nash will keep it's name under the agreement.
