St. Luke’s Hospital in Columbus, North Carolina, had been planning to ink a management agreement with AdventHealth, one of the nation’s largest health systems, for months. But just days before the transaction was scheduled to close in late September, a wrinkle emerged: Hurricane Helene.
The storm was catastrophic in just about every way, but it was an unexpected “blessing” in at least this one, leaders from both entities told Newsweek. It accelerated a cultural bond that sometimes gets lost amidst financial analyses and compliance reviews.
The critical access hospital sits at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, rendering its facility and employees vulnerable to the brewing Category 4 storm. As Helene barreled toward land, Mike Thompson, president and CEO of AdventHealth’s Southeast Region, and Bill Miller, St. Luke’s board of trustees chair at the time, had a difficult decision to make. If they abandoned the transaction, the hospital would be …