Wake County commissioners delay decision related to WakeMed’s merger with Atrium
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Commissioners unanimously delayed the decision for up to 90 days.
- WakeMed and Atrium proposed Atrium appoint six board members.
- WakeMed said the merger would bring $2 billion and 3,300 new jobs to Wake County.
Wake County commissioners delayed actions Monday related to a proposed merger of WakeMed Health and Atrium Health following pushback from numerous state and local officials.
The proposed merger was first announced to the public in a news release Friday afternoon. A vote was scheduled for Monday’s Wake County commissioners meeting to amend WakeMed’s articles of incorporation as well as a transfer agreement.
By Sunday, officials, including State Auditor Dave Boliek, started publicly voicing their concerns about the speed of the decision and the effect a merger could have on affordable healthcare, The News & Observer reported.
The amendment was on Monday’s consent agenda, which typically consists of non-controversial items that can be voted on together, without discussion. An item can be removed from the consent agenda and considered separately if a commissioner requests it.
That’s what Commissioner Vickie Adamson did Monday, and she then moved to delay the county’s actions for up to 90 days, which the commissioners unanimously approved.
Chair Don Mial acknowledged, however, that the county lacks the legal authority to stop the merger.
“The board made this decision to provide time for the hospitals to engage with the community about the merger,” he said.
Merger would add jobs, change board
WakeMed has said the merger would result in a $2 billion investment in the health system, redeveloping and expanding its facilities in Raleigh and Cary, and would create 3,300 new healthcare jobs in Wake County over the next five years, The N&O previously reported.
“We cannot continue to go it alone,” WakeMed CEO Donald Gintzig said Monday, especially while facing federal, state and other cuts.
Wake County’s decision regarding the merger would change who appoints six of WakeMed’s 14-member board of directors.
Now, Wake County commissioners appoint eight members, who the proposed amendment confirms would have to live in Wake County.
Six more are currently appointed by WakeMed’s board but must be nominated by a board member not appointed by the county.
WakeMed and Atrium have proposed changing the rules so that Atrium appoints those six board members.
“WakeMed’s requested action is just the first of many in a detailed process that involves the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Department of Justice,” county spokesperson Dara Demi wrote in a statement Monday.
Boliek agreed with the commissioners’ decision in a statement after the meeting.
“There are several concerns that need to be addressed, and the people of Wake County and North Carolina deserve time to learn about and discuss the proposed transaction,” Boliek wrote in the statement. “A structural shift of this scale must be met with full transparency.”
WakeMed and Atrium Health plan to hold a news conference at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at WakeMed’s Raleigh campus “to share information, answer questions, and address any misconceptions,” according to a news release.
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 6:29 PM with the headline "Wake County commissioners delay decision related to WakeMed’s merger with Atrium."
