UNC Health sought 'partnership' with WakeMed after Atrium merger announced. Updated May 21, 2026 11:13 PM Gift Article Key Takeaways AI-generated summary reviewed by its newsroom. A few days after WakeMed announced its plan to merge with Charlotte-based Atrium Health, UNC Health made a counterproposal to WakeMed. Neither side is disclosing details, though both use the word "partnership" to describe UNC's proposal. Regardless, WakeMed says it will move ahead with its combination with Atrium. "We have reviewed UNC Health's proposal," WakeMed said in a written statement. "And we will continue engaging with the community regarding our path forward. At this time, however, that path lies with Atrium Health." News of the proposal was first reported Thursday in The Assembly. In a statement, UNC Health acknowledged that it had "expressed interest in exploring a broader partnership with WakeMed," and highlighted the UNC School of Medicine's role in educating and training "roughly 30% of WakeMed's medical staff." "We have been assured that this medical training partnership is important to WakeMed," the statement said. "It is because of this success that we believe that even greater things can be accomplished together for our citizens. That's precisely why we have expressed interest in furthering our relationship with WakeMed." WakeMed says the unsolicited partnership offer from UNC Health arrived on May 5, the day WakeMed and Atrium leaders held a press conference in Raleigh to explain the planned combination of the two nonprofit health systems. They had announced the merger in a press release on May 1. While WakeMed is financially sound now, president and CEO Donald Gintzig said, it needs to join a larger company to grow and update its hospitals and other facilities in coming years. Atrium Health and its parent company, Advocate Health, have pledged to invest $2 billion in WakeMed, allowing it to update its main campus in Raleigh and expand hospitals in Cary and North Raleigh. Gintzig said WakeMed spent about two years on a "diligent and deliberate process" of reviewing the merger with Atrium. He said WakeMed hired consultants from national organizations to analyze possible partners both within and outside North Carolina. Merger still faces some hurdles. Critics, including State Treasurer Brad Briner, say the consolidation of WakeMed with Atrium will reduce competition in ways that increase costs for patients and reduce quality. In its statement Thursday, WakeMed noted that joining Chapel Hill-based UNC Health would reduce the number of health systems serving Wake County from three to two, including Durham-based Duke Health. "Combined, WakeMed and UNC Health would control 80 percent of the healthcare market in Wake County," the statement said. "We have heard from numerous stakeholders, including the State Treasurer, that maintaining robust competition is important for our rapidly growing region." The WakeMed-Atrium merger still faces several hurdles. WakeMed needs Wake County commissioners to approve changes to the documents that allowed the county-owned Wake Medical Center to become a private nonprofit in 1997. After that, the Federal Trade Commission, along with the N.C. attorney general's office, must agree the merger doesn't violate state and federal antitrust laws that protect consumers from unfair business practices. Business. May 21, 2026 10:40 AM Local. May 20, 2026 6:05 PM May 5, 2026 1:55 PM May 21, 2026 10:40 AM The News & Observer Richard Stradling covers transportation for The News & Observer. Planes, trains and automobiles, plus ferries, bicycles, scooters and just plain walking. He's been a reporter or editor for 38 years, including the last 26 at The N&O. 919-829-4739, [email protected].

Atrium Health + WakeMed propose $2B merger, many jobs in major NC healthcare move. By Catherine Muccigrosso and Chase Jordan Updated May 1, 2026 5:59 PM Gift Article A $2 billion investment in Wake County is part of proposed merger between WakeMed and Atrium Health that will create 3,300 new health care jobs, and reshape the state's healthcare landscape, the healthcare companies announced Friday afternoon. The proposed agreement would unite WakeMed, the Triangle area's leading community-based health system, with Atrium Health, North Carolina's largest health provider. In addition to the financial commitment, the partnership looks to expand services for 1 million people across North Carolina, and to create North Carolina's largest nonprofit mental health network. Atrium is part of Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. It serves 6 million patients across 69 hospitals and more than 1,000 care locations. The system recently partnered with Wake Forest University to launch the city's first four-year medical school, a centerpiece of The Pearl innovation district. Advocate Health CEO Gene Woods describes the $2-billion plan for a strategic combination as "one of the largest health care commitments this region has ever seen." Woods emphasized that "the impact goes far beyond dollars." Wake County Board of Commissioners will vote on the agreement Monday, May 4. If approved, a regulatory review will take place over the next several months, followed by a structured integration process. Leaders from Atrium Health and WakeMed are scheduled to provide more details during a media briefing on Tuesday morning in Raleigh on the WakeMed campus. Additional information will not be shared until the commissioners make their decision, according to a WakeMed spokesperson. Advocate Health declined to provide additional comments. In a statement Friday, N.C. State Treasurer Brad Briner raised concerns about the merger. He expects the Attorney General and the Federal Trade Commission to closely scrutinize the proposal. "There is a simple business principle that when suppliers consolidate and competition is reduced it is the consumers who suffer," Briner said. "If history is any guide, this merger will not benefit the public." Inside the Atrium Health and WakeMed merger. The strategic combination between WakeMed and Atrium Health is projected to result in significant expansion and transformation across five key areas, according to the healthcare companies: * Accelerating growth and jobs: A $2 billion investment would expand WakeMed's footprint, including the redevelopment of the Raleigh Campus, expansion of Cary and North hospitals, development of the Garner Whole Health Campus and construction of two new Healthplex locations with stand-alone emergency departments. This expansion is expected to generate 3,300 new health care jobs over five years in clinical care, research, education and support roles. * Improve access and affordability: The combination would establish North Carolina's largest virtual care network, adding at least 100,000 new virtual visits annually for 24/7 on-demand access. It will bring new advanced specialty services, such as for cancer, neurosciences and pediatric specialties. * Transforming mental health: The deal would create a network with more than 360 behavioral health inpatient beds and outpatient mental health services would be expanded, including new research and treatment methods through national partnerships. * Strengthening community partnerships: The organizations would collaborate with community-based groups to invest in programs that address areas of greatest need and connect patients to resources such as healthy food, housing and transportation. * Research and education: Medical education would be expanded through a partnership with Wake Forest University School of Medicine, creating new residency and fellowship opportunities at WakeMed. The deal will strengthen clinical training partnerships to build a workforce pipeline and attract life-sciences and health-tech companies. A previous Atrium merger attempt. This is the second time that Atrium Health has tried to merge with a Triangle-based health system. In 2017, UNC Health said it would partner with what was then known as Carolinas HealthCare to create one of the largest nonprofit health care networks and academic research centers in the country. UNC Health and Carolinas HealthCare said they would form a company to oversee their joint operations under a new corporate name with a headquarters at a location to be determined. The deal fell apart several months later, over disagreements about who would control the joint operating company. More on Atrium. Atrium Health is the largest provider of hospitals in the Charlotte region. Atrium Health and Advocate Health completed a merger in December 2022 to form Advocate Health. The hospital system kept its brands after coming together. The system is now made up of Advocate Health Care and Aurora Health Care brands in Wisconsin and Illinois and Atrium Health in the Carolinas, Georgia and Alabama. And Wake Forest University School of Medicine - Charlotte, welcomed 49 medical students when it opened last July. The school of medicine is the academic core of Advocate Health. Enrollment is expected to increase to 100 students per class over the next five years at the Charlotte campus. Combined with the Winston-Salem campus, it will be the largest medical school in the region. Raleigh News & Observer reporter Richard Stradling contributed to this report This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 3:50 PM. March 27, 2026 5:06 AM March 12, 2026 5:16 AM The Charlotte Observer Catherine Muccigrosso covers retail, banking and other business news for The Charlotte Observer. An award-winning journalist, she has worked for multiple newspapers in the Carolinas, Missouri and New York. The Charlotte Observer Chase Jordan is a business reporter for The Charlotte Observer, and has nearly a decade of experience covering news in North Carolina. Prior to joining the Observer, he was a growth and development reporter for the Wilmington StarNews. The Kansas City native is a graduate of Bethune-Cookman University.

WakeMed moves to merge with Charlotte-based Atrium Health system. Updated May 1, 2026 4:53 PM Gift Article Key Takeaways AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom. WakeMed, one of the Triangle's three big health care systems, is taking steps to merge with Charlotte-based Atrium Health. Wake County commissioners will be asked to bless the merger on Monday. Until 1997, WakeMed was owned by the county before it became an independent nonprofit. Atrium Health is part of Advocate Health, the nation's third-largest nonprofit academic health system centered around Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem. Joining with Atrium will help WakeMed continue a mission that began 65 years ago, said Donald Gintzig, president and CEO. "This combination represents a significant next step in building upon this legacy, expanding our impact and ensuring a thriving nonprofit health care future for all we serve," Gintzig said in a statement Friday. "WakeMed and Atrium Health are united in a shared commitment to serving our communities, and by building upon our complementary strengths, we can have an even greater impact on the health and well-being of Wake County and the entire state." The tie-up of two of the state's largest health care systems will face some opposition. State Treasurer Brad Briner released a statement Friday raising his concerns. "There is a simple business principle that when suppliers consolidate and competition is reduced it is the consumers who suffer," Briner said. "This has been proven to be true time and again in the health care landscape, where prices continue to rise and patients are left with mounting medical debt." Briner said he hoped the state attorney general and Federal Trade Commission scrutinize the proposed merger. "If history is any guide, this merger will not benefit the public," he said. WakeMed said regulators would review the proposed merger over the coming months before any integration takes place. WakeMed and Atrium officials will hold a press conference Tuesday morning "to share information, answer questions, and address any misconceptions." WakeMed touts potential benefits of merger. In announcing the merger on Friday, WakeMed said it would result in a $2 billion investment in the health system, including redevelopment and expansion of its flagship Raleigh Campus and WakeMed hospitals in Cary and North Raleigh. WakeMed said the expansions would create 3,300 new health care jobs in Wake County over the next five years. The combination would give WakeMed the kind of close relationship with a medical school that competitors UNC Health in Chapel Hill and Duke Health in Durham have. It will create new residency and fellowship opportunities at WakeMed and bring more cutting-edge treatments, WakeMed said. This is the second time that Atrium Health has tried to merge with a Triangle-based health system. In 2017, UNC Health said it would partner with what was then known as Carolinas HealthCare to create one of the largest nonprofit health care networks and academic research centers in the country. UNC Health and Carolinas HealthCare said they would form a company to oversee their joint operations under a new corporate name with a headquarters at a location to be determined. The deal fell apart several months later, over disagreements about who would control the joint operating company. This story was originally published May 1, 2026 at 3:49 PM. October 13, 2025 6:00 AM Wake County September 10, 2025 4:41 PM The News & Observer Richard Stradling covers transportation for The News & Observer. Planes, trains and automobiles, plus ferries, bicycles, scooters and just plain walking. He's been a reporter or editor for 38 years, including the last 26 at The N&O. 919-829-4739, [email protected].