Joint Statement from WakeMed and Atrium Health Following Wake County Board Approval of Proposed Combination

Joint Statement from WakeMed and Atrium Health Following Wake County Board Approval of Proposed Combination

RALEIGH, N.C. and CHARLOTTE, N.C. (September 21, 2026) - Following the Wake County Board of Commissioners' majority vote to approve amendments to WakeMed's Articles of Incorporation and the Transfer Agreement related to the proposed combination between WakeMed and Atrium Health, the organizations issued the following joint statement:

Today, the Wake County Board of Commissioners voted to approve this proposed combination, marking a historic milestone for both organizations and the communities we serve.

Over the past several months, Wake County has engaged in critical conversations about the future of healthcare in this region - with strong opinions, tough questions and differing perspectives. Through it all, one thing was clear: people care deeply about WakeMed, its caregivers, its patients and the future of this community. We greatly appreciate everyone who took part in that conversation and helped make it stronger.

We spent countless hours listening to county leaders, community organizations, faith leaders, employees, care providers and residents who wanted to understand what this combination would mean for Wake County. That's a fair question, and we believe the additional commitments included in the final agreement are a meaningful answer.

The $150 million Wake County Whole Health Program is a significant long-term investment in the health and vitality of Wake County, building on our track record of investing in community well-being and addressing needs that extend beyond the walls of hospitals and physician practices. The amended Transfer Agreement includes a strengthened charity care commitment establishing a higher minimum threshold for caring for patients in need, providing additional assurance around a level of support that already exceeds that threshold today and helping ensure access to care regardless of a person's ability to pay.

These enhancements build on Atrium Health's commitment to invest $2 billion in WakeMed, supporting continued investment in people, facilities, technology and services needed to meet the needs of one of the fastest-growing communities in the country. This combination will expand access to affordable, nationally leading care, strengthen mental health and other critical services, grow local jobs, increase investment in nonprofit and community-based organizations, address social drivers of health, catalyze innovation and improve the health and well-being of Wake County for generations to come.

This vote brings us to the next chapter of the process, and important work remains ahead. As the proposed combination now moves to the regulatory review process, we look forward to fulfilling our commitments. We recognize that trust is earned, and our focus now is to follow through on what we've outlined, continuing to listen to the community and demonstrating, through our actions, the value this combination will create for the people of Wake County and beyond.

Media Contacts
Atrium Health: [email protected]
WakeMed: Kristin Kelly, [email protected]

About WakeMed
Serving the community since 1961, WakeMed is a not-for-profit health care system founded and based in Raleigh, N.C. WakeMed exists to improve the health and well-being of our community by providing outstanding and compassionate care to all. WakeMed's 973-bed system comprises a network of facilities throughout the Triangle area, including three full-service hospitals, a mental health & well-being hospital, eight emergency departments, a dedicated Children's Hospital and Rehabilitation Hospital, two exceptional Trauma Centers-a Level I Trauma Center in Raleigh and a Level III Trauma Center in Cary, and more than 175 physician and physical therapy practice offices. WakeMed's mission-driven team includes more than 12,800 employees, 1,300 volunteers, and 1,300 affiliated physicians along with a network of 900+ primary care and specialty providers with WakeMed Physician Practices-all representing the best minds and the biggest hearts and the finest quality in health care and community health. For more information, visit www.wakemed.org or follow WakeMed on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.

About Atrium Health
Atrium Health is advancing clinical care and research across the communities it serves by redefining care for all. The care network is anchored by Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center, an academic medical center in Charlotte that includes Levine Children's Hospital, Levine Cancer Institute and Sanger Heart & Vascular Institute, along with 11 hospitals, more than 900 care locations and over 1,400 physicians serving communities across the greater Charlotte region. It is part of Charlotte, North Carolina-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit, integrated health system in the United States. Advocate Health is a preeminent academic health system at the forefront of clinical excellence, innovation and research, with Wake Forest University School of Medicine serving as its academic core. Nationally recognized for expertise in heart and vascular, neurosciences, oncology, pediatrics and rehabilitation, Advocate Health is also a pioneer in the delivery of virtual health care. It's accelerating discovery by making research participation part of the standard-of-care through its one-of-a-kind National Center for Clinical Trials. Advocate Health has one of the nation's largest graduate medical education programs, with an experiential learning focus and specialized residencies to help protect the long-term sustainability of rural health care in America. Each campus of the school of medicine has an affiliated life-sciences focused innovation district: The Pearl, in Charlotte, and Innovation Quarter, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. With more than 165,000 teammates serving patients at 69 hospitals and over 1,000 care locations across eight states, Advocate Health reinvests over $6 billion each year to improve community health, making it one of the nation's largest providers of community benefit.