Since its opening in 1951, Pender Medical Center has been central to the community of Burgaw and the surrounding region. For the many families who have called Burgaw home for generations, the hospital has provided expert quality of care along with healthy doses of small-town hospitality. Receiving care in the community, from team members who are also friends and neighbors, brings peace of mind – and improved health – to community members.
“This hospital has meant a lot to me and my family,” said Jackie Newton, chair of the Pender County Board of Commissioners.
Novant Health is now ushering in a new era of investment and support for Novant Health Pender Medical Center. With $50 million in improvements planned for the hospital and increased access to health care services across Pender County during the next 10 years, Newton said it would be hard for her to overstate how important the investments are to the community, particularly at a time when many rural hospitals are closing.
“Second only to our school system is the quality of our health care,” Newton said. “It's significant to our economic development. It will mean new services that will be available. Our citizens will have access to both primary and specialty care, better health care and a better life.”
As the residents of Burgaw look ahead, here are three ways Novant Health has proudly invested in the community since 2021.
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1. Providing financial assistance for patients
Novant Health is committed to improving the health of communities, one person at a time. As part of this mission, it provides a generous financial assistance policy. This allows eligible patients who are uninsured and earn up to 300% of the federal poverty level to receive no-cost medical care. In 2023, that’s a $90,000 annual income for a family of four.
At Pender Medical Center in 2021 and 2022, more than 2,500 patients benefitted from this financial assistance policy. This represents a 400% increase in free care over years 2020 and 2019, prior to when Pender Medical Center became part of the Novant Health network.
Of Pender County’s approximately 60,000 residents, 12.5%, or more than 7,000 people, live below the poverty line. Some 23.5% of Burgaw’s population lives below the poverty line, almost double the national average of 12.8%.
"This is a big part of our mission as a community hospital – ensuring that we can serve all residents of Pender County, regardless of their financial status. Quality health care that’s close by should be accessible to everyone,” said Ruth Glaser, president and chief operating officer of Pender Medical Center.
2. Raising team member wages – twice
Novant Health has increased its team members’ minimum wage twice since Pender Medical Center became part of its network. In 2021, Novant Health raised its minimum wage from $12.50 to $15 an hour. And in March 2023, it raised the systemwide minimum hourly wage another $2 an hour to $17.
“Continuing to provide a meaningful living wage for our team members remains a top priority at Novant Health,” said Carl Armato, Novant Health president and CEO.
With Pender County now ranking as one of the fastest-growing counties in the state, these raises help ensure team members can afford subsequent cost-of-living and housing cost increases.
3. Spearheading a rural residency track
A new rural family medicine track of New Hanover Regional Medical Center’s family medicine residency program will soon begin at Pender Medical Center and its neighbor, Black River Health Services. The first residents are slated to begin during summer 2025. Foundational planning has been ongoing for several years, though, and the track received grant funding in 2022. It’s a reality that Glaser described as “beyond her wildest dreams.”
“It’s going to change the whole landscape of the organization, to have residents in the halls here and to be growing physicians right here so that they can then practice here in this community,” Glaser said. “It's a huge opportunity for Pender County.”
A residency is a training program that allows new medical school graduates to deliver care under supervision. Evidence shows that medical professionals are likely to stay in areas where they complete their residency. In rural areas that historically do not have equal access to health care, this is critical. Statewide, North Carolina has about 28 doctors for every 10,000 people. In remote Pender County, there are just three physicians for every 10,000 people.
The new residency program will create more than 30 well-paying jobs. This includes employment opportunities for physicians, health professionals and allied health positions among the program, Pender Medical Center, Black River Health Services and other clinical sites in the region.
