Op-Ed By: Randy Marion, President, Randy Marion Automotive, and Chairman, Board of Trustees, Lake Norman Regional Medical Center
7/22/2024
Few businesses are more important to a community than the local hospital.
Knowing that care is available whenever it is needed – 24/7 – and that teams of doctors, nurses and other caregivers stand ready to intervene in an emergency, help someone through a serious illness, perform surgery that improves health, or deliver a brand new baby – that is reassuring. And, for most of us, it is essential to a better quality of life.
As chairman of the board of Lake Norman Regional Medical Center, I’m privileged to see the commitment of our hospital team up close. My own family, friends, and employees choose LNRMC when they need healthcare.
That’s why I was understandably concerned when Novant Health made an abrupt decision to abandon its plans to acquire LNRMC and Davis Hospital during a drawn out legal fight with the Federal Trade Commission. That decision could have been a disruptive, and even demoralizing, event for our hospital. But, it was not.
Working together, physicians, hospital employees, local hospital leaders and Community Health Systems, the owner of the hospitals, have rallied to take immediate steps to fortify the healthcare services available in our community. Here are some examples of actions taken the past few weeks.
Wage adjustments have been offered to a majority of hospital employees to ensure competitive compensation for our valued workforce, including some employees who have been with LNRMC for many years and even decades.
The hospital is upgrading medical equipment and technology used in patient care.
Work has begun on plans for a new, more sophisticated electronic medical record system, which will enhance quality and make care delivery more efficient for physicians and nurses.
And, every day, we are showing appreciation for our team, the patients who count on us, and the community that supports us.
When I consider the importance of healthcare in any community, and especially in our community – I am grateful for our hospitals and for the people who keep them humming day and night, all day, every day, and throughout every night.
We should always remember that while hospitals are businesses, they also serve a larger purpose. They are beacons of hope and healing for patients and catalysts of health and wellbeing for everyone.
Lake Norman Regional Medical Center is the crown jewel of our community. I want you to join with me to recognize Lake Norman has been, is, and will continue to be the crown jewel of our community.
Randy Marion is President, Randy Marion Automotive, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Lake Norman Regional Medical Center.
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