What is CHS Blue Ridge?
CHS Blue Ridge ( www.carolinashealthcareblueridge.org) is a not-for-profit community healthcare system, providing advanced healthcare and wellness services from more than 40 locations across a three-county region of Western North Carolina.
What is the UNC Health Blue Ridge Partnership?
We are proud to now be a part of the UNC Health family as UNC Health Blue Ridge. This new partnership will give you continued access to the Blue Ridge providers you know and trust, while providing you with greater access to a higher level of care right here at home.
Is CHS-Blue Ridge merging with atrium?
CHS-Blue Ridge will exit its decades-long management services agreement with Charlotte-based Atrium Health. Carolinas HealthCare System rebranded to Atrium in 2018. Blue Ridge did not share a timeline for its exit. A managed services agreement is different from a merger.
Why partner with Blue Ridge healthcare?
“The Board of Directors understands the importance of having a partner that shares our commitment to rural health care and our local community,” said Michael Bridges, Chair of the Blue Ridge HealthCare System Board of Directors.
What is Blue Ridge Networks?
Blue Ridge Networks gives organizations the ability to grant authorized users remote access to essential services and infrastructure at a higher level of security than typical VPNs, without impacting operations — checking all of the boxes for trusted, agile communications:
Why is remote access important?
Secure remote access is a necessity to keep productivity high and to quickly address operational issues, but it also can create a low cost, easy entry point for hackers. Blue Ridge Networks has designed a secure remote access solution that is comptaible with ICS/OT environments and supports both the enterprise and operational user. When this solution is in place, secure remote access to the OT environment is completely isolated and contained. This allows organizations to securely manage authorized connections between users and devices from one point to another through end-to-end encrypted tunnels — without establishing or configuring complex, time-consuming protocols. The solution eliminates endpoint vulnerability and cloaks devices, making them invisible and inaccessible to unauthorized systems.
Can you ban remote access?
Many organizations have continued to prohibit remote access for third parties entirely, requiring individuals to exclusively access ICS during on-site visits. For example, within the telecommunications industry, switch equipment vendors have abandoned ICS remote access and retreated to conducting maintenance checks on premise. Banning remote access does eliminate some potential security risks, but can be prohibitive in critical alarm situations that indicate hazardous conditions or failure modes. In many instances, field sites may be separated by miles.
Who is the CEO of Blue Ridge?
Kathy Bailey, CEO at Blue Ridge, said at a Thursday press conference her goal is to ensure day-to-day operations will not be affected by this process. She praised employees' response to the pandemic.
What are the challenges of rural health care?
Rural health care has its own set of challenges. Residents often only visit a doctor when absolutely necessary. There is less regular care. Bridges said, as a result, providers focus on ways to provide follow-up treatments to help keep patients out of the emergency room. The system is also focused on attracting the right doctors to practice there, he said.
Does Blue Ridge have UNC?
A managed services agreement is different from a merger. Blue Ridge will have access to UNC resources, but will continue to own the assets.
Is CHS Blue Ridge joining UNC?
CHS-Blue Ridge plans to join UNC Health this year after it breaks with Atrium - Charlotte Business Journal
What is the significance of UNC Health joining Blue Ridge?
Joining UNC Health will allow Blue Ridge to strengthen rural healthcare throughout the Mountain Region by further enhancing the medical capabilities of providers and expanding the services Blue Ridge offers today. Importantly, this potential partnership would allow for new and additional specialty services in the community, keeping care local and improving services for the diverse needs of the region.
What is the rural health expertise of UNC?
The rural health expertise and scale of UNC Health will allow Blue Ridge to benefit from enhancements in clinical and organizational initiatives, purchasing support, access to additional clinical and operational expertise, and much more.
What are the hospitals in Chapel Hill?
UNC Health is comprised of UNC Hospitals at Chapel Hill, ranked consistently among the best medical centers in the country; the UNC School of Medicine, a nationally eminent research institution; Pardee UNC Health Care in Hendersonville; Chatham Hospital in Siler City; Johnston Health in Clayton and Smithfield; UNC Lenoir Health Care in Kinston; Wayne UNC Health Care in Goldsboro; Caldwell UNC Health Care in Lenoir; Nash UNC Health Care in Rocky Mount; UNC Rockingham Health Care in Eden, Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, UNC Health Southeastern in Lumberton, UNC REX Healthcare and its provider network in Wake County; and the UNC Physicians Network. For more information, please visit www.unchealth.org
What is a high performing network of facilities and clinicians?
Form a high-performing network of facilities and clinicians focused on providing the best patient care, increasing affordability and efficiency, engaging with patients and local communities to elevate public health, and keeping more care local by increasing access to primary and higher-level specialty services;
Is there a letter of intent for Blue Ridge?
(April 22, 2021) – The CHS Blue Ridge (Blue Ridge) Board of Directors and the UNC Health Board of Directors have announced the approval of a non-binding Letter of Intent (LOI) for Blue Ridge to become part of the UNC Health family through a comprehensive Management Services Agreement (MSA).
Is UNC Health a part of Blue Ridge?
The proposed partnership between Blue Ridge (with campuses in Morganton and Valdese) and UNC Health aims to enhance the quality of healthcare and grow specialty services in the Unifour region and beyond in ways not possible otherwise. The potential partnership underscores both UNC Health’s and Blue Ridge’s commitment to rural healthcare in North Carolina and will focus on delivering an even higher level of care throughout the region. If finalized, Blue Ridge would become part of North Carolina’s leading public academic healthcare system that includes 12 other hospitals and hundreds of clinics throughout the state.
