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"Winston" may be physically closer to Charlotte than Greensboro is, in terms of distance (but not much) but that has nothing to do with "a stronger connection" versus Greensboro. As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I think that WF-Baptist- Bowman Gray- WF Medical School - "Fill In The Blank" because there are numerous names to this institution - made a Huge Mistake in giving away the farm in negotiations with Atrium. I know that UNC turned Atrium down, and I believe that one or two others did as well.
I don't know all of the intricacies with the Atrium-WF deal, but will say that this isn't the first healthcare system relationship between the two locales. Novant Health (HQ in Winston) is the result of a previous merger between two health systems in CLT and WS.
Last edited by carolinablue; 03-26-2024 at 06:15 AM..
I don't know all of the intricacies with the Atrium-WF deal, but will say that this isn't the first healthcare system relationship between the two locales. Novant Health (HQ in Winston) is the result of a previous merger between two health systems in CLT and WS.
This is correct Charlotte's Presbyterian was taken over by Novant. Presbyterian and the former Charlotte Memorial which became Carolina's health center which became Atrium were competitors for decades. Atrium was absolutely going to merge with somebody that resulted in a medical school for Charlotte. Some people might say that Wake Forest made a mistake but you can also argue that Wake Forest was smart for teaming up with a giant before someone else did.....
I don't know all of the intricacies with the Atrium-WF deal, but will say that this isn't the first healthcare system relationship between the two locales. Novant Health (HQ in Winston) is the result of a previous merger between two health systems in CLT and WS.
This is true, but none of the others required that a new medical school be built, as far as I know, and the other situations were actual mergers. I do know that Atrium was turned down by the others primarily because they were unwilling to cede the headquarters location and executive control to Atrium / Charlotte, not because of building another medical school branch. In fact, it looked like the UNC Health-Atrium situation was a done deal until it collapsed over the HQ and executive control impasse. This is a unique situation and if it comes off as advertised, it will be a win-win for Charlotte and Winston-Salem. On the other hand, this may be a situation where it benefits Wake Forest University much more than Winston-Salem. I can't help thinking that WFU gave away too much, but that's only my opinion. Time will tell.
Also, this organization structure is very complex and a bit confusing, as Atrium did not legally merge with WF-Baptist and the WF medical school; in most situations (Novant Health for example) a merger creates a new legal entity as a result of two or more systems merging into one. Unless I am mistaken, the headquarters of this “non-merged” organization is in Charlotte, most of the executive officers are based in Charlotte and the funding comes from Charlotte, although WFU remains in control of the Winston-Salem based assets. It's very unusual.
This is true, but none of the others required that a new medical school be built, as far as I know, and the other situations were actual mergers. I do know that Atrium was turned down by the others primarily because they were unwilling to cede the headquarters location and executive control to Atrium / Charlotte, not because of building another medical school branch. In fact, it looked like the UNC Health-Atrium situation was a done deal until it collapsed over the HQ and executive control impasse. This is a unique situation and if it comes off as advertised, it will be a win-win for Charlotte and Winston-Salem. On the other hand, this may be a situation where it benefits Wake Forest University much more than Winston-Salem. I can't help thinking that WFU gave away too much, but that's only my opinion. Time will tell.
Also, this organization structure is very complex and a bit confusing, as Atrium did not legally merge with WF-Baptist and the WF medical school; in most situations (Novant Health for example) a merger creates a new legal entity as a result of two or more systems merging into one. Unless I am mistaken, the headquarters of this “non-merged” organization is in Charlotte, most of the executive officers are based in Charlotte and the funding comes from Charlotte, although WFU remains in control of the Winston-Salem based assets. It's very unusual.
The Chief Academic Officer of the entire Atrium Health system, including all of its medical schools, is Julie Freischlag - who is based in Winston-Salem and is the Dean of the Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Notwithstanding your concern trolling about the Atrium Wake merger, you can't even get basic facts right. Earlier in the thread you stated that there is preparation ongoing for the IQ south of Business 40 (which is no longer called that). If you knew what you were talking about you would know that the large infrastructure project that is ongoing and spending millions preparing the next phase is in the central core of the IQ which is north of Salem Parkway (421). That area is expected to see new development in the next few years.
The Chief Academic Officer of the entire Atrium Health system, including all of its medical schools, is Julie Freischlag - who is based in Winston-Salem and is the Dean of the Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Notwithstanding your concern trolling about the Atrium Wake merger, you can't even get basic facts right. Earlier in the thread you stated that there is preparation ongoing for the IQ south of Business 40 (which is no longer called that). If you knew what you were talking about you would know that the large infrastructure project that is ongoing and spending millions preparing the next phase is in the central core of the IQ which is north of Salem Parkway (421). That area is expected to see new development in the next few years.
I agree WS is going to be ok. Atrium, now a part of Advocate Health, has become part of such a gigantic sprawling system that each of the major markets have significant executive + management presence. While Advocate's overall HQ is in Charlotte, they have appointed senior leaders from the Atrium, Atrium Wake-Forest Baptist, and Advocate-Aurora divisions to lead the combined hospital system and many still live / are based in the market their origin system was located.
I think Wake Forest University will get much more national recognition over time with the merger than with a standalone Wake Forest Baptist regional hospital. Wake is now prominently the academic heart of the 3rd largest hospital nonprofit in the entire country with 68 hospitals in 6 states. The revenue of the system (~$30 billion) would be peers with public companies like Northrop Grumman and Capital One. IMO the combined Advocate is just getting started with the amount of money they are going to pump into elevating research and teaching at Wake Forest. Overtime, this investment should elevate the Wake Forest name more and more. The excellence of a medical school can have ripple effects into other areas of a university as well and contribute to more on campus research in other disciplines.
With construction on Phase II of Innovation Quarter beginning last fall, the Triad has catapulted into the top 10 of U.S. markets with the most active life sciences pipelines.
Data from CommercialEdge shows that Winston-Salem/Greensboro metro has 1 million square footage of life sciences space under construction, landing it at No. 7 among markets with the most active life sciences construction when ranked by square footage.
When ranked by percentage of inventory set to grow, the Triad came in at the top nationwide, with its square footage of life sciences spaces set to increase by 156%.
The list includes typical life science powerhouses like San Francisco and Boston.
The Chief Academic Officer of the entire Atrium Health system, including all of its medical schools, is Julie Freischlag - who is based in Winston-Salem and is the Dean of the Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Notwithstanding your concern trolling about the Atrium Wake merger, you can't even get basic facts right. Earlier in the thread you stated that there is preparation ongoing for the IQ south of Business 40 (which is no longer called that). If you knew what you were talking about you would know that the large infrastructure project that is ongoing and spending millions preparing the next phase is in the central core of the IQ which is north of Salem Parkway (421). That area is expected to see new development in the next few years.
Didn't mean to strike a nerve there.
Julie Freischlag currently holds these positions, that's correct, but one day she will be retired.
By the way, local Winston-Salem leaders expressed these concerns at the time this was announced, so I am hardly unique in my thoughts. There's a reason that UNC Health walked away from Atrium, and never looked back; you might want to read up on that. Maybe it will be a strong success; let's hope so for Winston's sake.
Well, maybe, sort of, not really. Although I previously said that I had no more comments on this matter, I feel compelled to respond to this post. According to local media:
"In June 2021, WFU IQ officials outlined a plan for Phase II, proposing up to 10 new buildings with an additional 1 million square feet of medical space and about 1.7 million square feet of mixed-use development. The initial Phase II work features: laying of 46,830 feet of fiber and electrical conduit; site grading; installation of 131 street lights and 140 trees; streetscaping; and an almost half-mile extension of the Long Branch Trail.
Part of the expansion is being funded by an $8.9 million federal grant through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
IQ officials acknowledge that Phase II will represent a greater development challenge, given that the 28 acres do not contain buildings that qualify for historic rehabilitation tax credits. Those tax credits were critical to the development of Phase I, attracting outside investors, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield of N.C., that helped to offset up to 40% of the renovation costs of the historic buildings. As with the first phase, a strong public-private partnership with government agencies at the federal, state and local level will be key to realizing this next phase of development,” IQ said."
In other words, the IQ Phase Two current project consists of infrastructure improvements largely funded by the federal government. The MASTER PLAN does look like what you posted, but it is only a proposed "wish list". The Eye Center doesn't currently have the funding to be built, and that is supposed to be the catalyst of Phase II.
"The new Eye Institute represents a major investment in Winston-Salem, with substantial funding coming from Atrium Health as a result of the strategic partnership with Wake Forest Baptist announced in October 2020. The remaining funds are being raised through a philanthropic campaign in the community to which several community members have already made substantial commitments. The financial support of our community is crucial to make this truly a world-class facility and we are grateful to everyone who will partner with us to make this project a reality,” said Lisa Marshall, chief philanthropy officer and vice president of philanthropy and alumni relations at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist."
In my opinion there are two people that you shouldn't trust: Eugene Woods and Hugh McColl.
You seem very invested in downplaying the success of the IQ and downtown Winston in general. I'm guessing it's because you feel defensive that downtown Greensboro hasn't had the same kind of investment. It's ok to admit that other cities have had success.
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