Greenville, N.C. – ECU Health, the health system serving eastern North Carolina, marked a year of clinical advancements, record recruitment, expanded access to care, academic growth and national recognition in 2024. The health system’s progress demonstrates its unwavering commitment to improving health outcomes for the region’s rural communities.
“At ECU Health, 2024 was a successful year marked by groundbreaking innovations, impactful collaborations and significant achievements that solidify our position as a national model for rural health care,” said Dr. Michael Waldrum, ECU Health CEO and dean of the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.
“From advancing academic excellence and clinical innovation to expanding access to care, these milestones reflect the unwavering dedication and hard work of our exceptional team members. As an exciting new year begins, we remain committed to building on this momentum to address the unique health care needs of our communities with a focus on meeting our mission of improving the health and well-being of eastern North Carolina.”
A few key highlights from 2024 include: celebrating the first graduating class of its Rural Family Medicine Residency Program and also expanding class sizes moving forward, investing in research with the Brody School of Medicine, introducing innovative technologies such as the BEAR® Implant, FARAPULSE™ and EluPro® BioEnvelope to enhance patient outcomes and offer state-of-the-art treatment options, and the system earning several prestigious recognitions, including becoming the only Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in eastern North Carolina and one of four in the state, Electrophysiology Lab accreditation and Magnet® designation for nursing excellence, and hosting the one year anniversary celebration of Medicaid expansion, highlighting the number of eastern North Carolinians who now have access to health insurance.
More 2024 highlights include:
- ECU Health Medical Center received The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® for brain tumor care.
- ECU Health strengthened its network with the opening of the Outer Banks Health Cancer Center, groundbreaking for Outer Banks Health Family Medicine in Manteo, the launch of the JOY Clinic and the ECU Health and Pitt County Health Department’s vaccine and health assessment clinic for local kids.
- ECU Health achieved record recruitment of physicians and nurses committed to the ECU Health mission.
- ECU Health expanded access to primary care access by adding 198 new primary care providers and opening more than 900 new primary care appointments per week.
- ECU Health celebrated the first graduating class of its Rural Family Medicine Residency Program and expanded the class size.
- ECU Health started fellowships in Electrophysiology and American Sign Language.
- The Brody School of Medicine broke ground on its new Center for Medical Education, a step toward increasing its class size from 86 to over 120 students, addressing the growing need for physicians in the region.
- ECU and ECU Health’s NC-STeP program received a national achievement award by the American Psychiatric Association.
To explore more milestones and highlights from 2024, visit ECUHealth.org/YearInReview2024.