PINEHURST – As health care heroes at FirstHealth of the Carolinas continue to deliver care amid the COVID-19 pandemic, they are taking time to celebrate a momentous event in the organization’s history: its 25th anniversary. The organization invites the public to learn about its history and join the commemoration at its new 25th-anniversary website www.firsthealth.org\25years.
In late 1995, two long-established hospitals – Moore Regional in Pinehurst and Montgomery Memorial in Troy – joined forces to become FirstHealth of the Carolinas. “A collective goal was to make health care accessible, both in breadth of services and geographically,” said retired FirstHealth Chief Executive Officer Charles Frock. “Merging the two hospitals just made sense.” The result 25 years later is health care that is not only accessible but world-class.
“The work of community members both inside and outside our health care system has well-positioned FirstHealth of the Carolinas to excel in our core purpose to care for people,” said current FirstHealth Chief Executive Officer Mickey Foster, who started his health care career at Moore Regional Hospital in 1995. Today, FirstHealth is a family of 5,000 employees delivering primary and specialty care to families in 15 counties in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Caring for people
In the 25 years since FirstHealth became a regional health care system by merging the Moore and Montgomery operations, the concept of “region” has expanded to brick-and-mortar facilities in Richmond, Hoke, Lee and Randolph counties, as well.
This expansion allows FirstHealth to serve patients in adjacent areas, including Scotland, Chatham, Cumberland, Robeson, Harnett, Anson and Stanly counties in North Carolina and Marlboro and Chesterfield counties in South Carolina.
Montgomery County
Montgomery Memorial Hospital opened in 1950 but by the 1980s, staying financially viable was difficult, a common symptom among independent rural hospitals. When the hospital merged with Moore Regional to become FirstHealth Montgomery Memorial Hospital, it could continue providing care to patients close to home. “It was not just a merger on paper,” said Beth Walker, R.N., retired president and long-time employee of Montgomery Memorial Hospital. “Moore Regional truly adopted Montgomery County and provided not only acute care hospital needs but wellness to the community.”
In 1999, the Troy hospital was designated a “Critical Access Hospital” by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This federal designation allows rural hospitals to receive benefits that help them stay financially viable to keep essential services in rural communities.
Richmond County
On Nov. 19, 1952, doors opened on the three-story, 50-bed Richmond Memorial Hospital in Rockingham. Although strong and sturdy, it encountered a fate similar to that of Montgomery Memorial and needed assistance to continue operations. FirstHealth of the Carolinas assumed management of Richmond Memorial Hospital in 1999 and acquired it in 2001. The hospital is now called FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital – Richmond and is part of a wide array of FirstHealth facilities in the county.
“Joining forces with FirstHealth allowed Richmond County residents and nearby neighbors to receive high quality, specialty care without leaving the area,” said John Jackson, president of FirstHealth’s Southern Region and administrator of Moore Regional Hospital-Richmond. “Like other rural hospitals, we could not have done that alone.”
In 2016, FirstHealth acquired Sandhills Regional Medical Center in Hamlet and renamed it Moore Regional Hospital – Hamlet. However, a shift in patients’ visits to other FirstHealth facilities forced closure the next year. FirstHealth still offers a wide array of services in clinics throughout Hamlet.
Hoke County
In 2013, FirstHealth built and opened FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital – Hoke in Raeford. Until that time, Hoke was the largest county in North Carolina without a hospital. Now it boasts an eight-bed hospital and 24/7 emergency department, along with several clinics offering primary and specialty care.
Lee County
A partnership between FirstHealth of the Carolinas and Pinehurst Medical Clinic provided cardiac services to residents in Lee County. Soon after, a FirstHealth Convenient Care Clinic opened in Tramway. Complementing that in 2018 was the opening of a multi-story medical office building and a state-of-the-art fitness center in Sanford. The facility houses the county’s second FirstHealth Convenient Care clinic, outpatient imaging, an outpatient lab, specialty services and a fitness center.