NEWSMAKERS BREAKFAST | By Mark Washburn
June 18. Less than two weeks away from taking its first patients, Atrium’s new hospital on U.S. 21 in Cornelius is still hiring staff, finishing interior work and preparing to show off its features at a ribbon-cutting tomorrow.
Brian M. Wofford, inaugural CEO/facility executive of Atrium Health Lake Norman Hospital, told the Newsmakers Breakfast crowd at The Peninsula Club that patients are already being scheduled for the July 1 opening.
Budgeted by Atrium Health at $250 million, the site will include a 72,000-square-foot medical office building expected to open this fall. Atrium said it has no plans for any commercial development on the 33-acre campus at this time.
More than 300 people are being hired for the hospital phase, Wofford said, with about 60 percent of the positions now filled. Some specialists will be moving from other Atrium sites.
Teamwork prioritized
Wofford said he interviews every prospective employee with an eye toward building a culture of teamwork, interdisciplinary cooperation and compassionate care.
Services will include an emergency department, imaging suite, inpatient care, operating suites and a labor floor with four delivery suites, he said.
“We expect to deliver a lot of babies here,” Wofford said. There will be no neonatal intensive care unit, but it is an area of future focus, he said.
Atrium does not plan to close its emergency room five miles away at Atrium Health Huntersville off I-77 at Exit 23, he said.
“This community is growing, and we will grow with it,” he said.
During the open forum Q&A, Dawne Kakitsis, volunteer coordinator at Davidson’s Ada Jenkins Center, noting that 1 in 20 residents of the region live in poverty, asked about Atrium’s plans for employee community service.
Teal town
“We’re going to paint the town teal,” Wofford replied, referring to the Aatrium logo. “We’re going to get out in the community and do public service.”
Summer internship opportunities are expected to be offered to high school and college students as well, he said. Sign-up opportunities for hospital volunteers will begin in mid-June.
In about a year when all interior work is completely finished, Wofford said, the hospital is expected to have 57 beds, including eight in intensive care, 24 for medical and surgical patients and eight emergency-room bays.
New technology in offices and patient rooms will allow video conferencing with specialists.
Exit 27, traffic
Wofford said he couldn’t speak for Atrium about support for a possible I-77 Exit 27 at Westmoreland Road, but he favors it. “I think Exit 27 is essential, for me personally,” Wofford said.
Both the town of Cornelius and N.C. Department of Transportation are seeking money for the interchange to reduce congestion at Exits 25 and 28. While the project is in the Metropolitan Transportation Plan for the next decade, it is as yet unbudgeted.
Traffic woes in the area are expected to continue for the near-term while engineers widen U.S. 21/Statesville Road between Westmoreland Road and Sam Furr Road in Huntersville over the next year or so.
Atrium’s campus, between U.S. 21/Statesville Road and I-77 at Bailey Road, is on the site of the failed Augustalee retail development proposed before the 2008 recession.
Wofford, previously vice president of operations at Atrium Health Cabarrus, is a Denver native with snowboarding injuries to prove it. He said he decided at age 15 to pursue a career in healthcare administration when his mother was hospitalized, and he felt she didn’t receive the professional, compassionate care she should have.
Early on, Wofford said, he led a meeting of his leadership team to consider what kind of culture should be instilled.
In the resulting “Vision for Culture,” a statement of objectives was established.
“Our team is collaborative, inclusive, and patient-centered,” the statement says. “Our culture is built on a foundation of trust, shared accountability, and psychological safety. We value clear communication, integrity, and innovation while fostering empathy, respect, and a shared sense of purpose. Leadership sets the tone with a growth mindset and critical thinking.”
Wofford said he plans to relocate to Lake Norman with his wife Marie, an emergency department physician at Atrium Health, and their daughters, one an infant and the other age 2, from Weddington where they now live.
“I love coming to this community,” he said. “Some days I just sit at Birkdale Village and people-watch.”
Wofford previously worked as vice president of medical, surgical and critical care services at Duke University Health System. He holds a Bachelor of Science from Florida State University and an MBA and MHA from Georgia State University.
North Carolina Health News reported in September that Atrium was wiping out all existing judgments and liens against patients for unpaid medical bills, offering relief to scores of North Carolinians who have been sued by the hospital system.
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