The Wake County County Commissioners have chosen corporate interests over public health

RALEIGH (September 22, 2026) – The NC Justice Center condemns the Wake County Commission’s decision to give away Community Control of WakeMed to Atrium Health. From the start, this takeover has lacked transparency and meaningful public involvement. Less than an hour before the vote, it was revealed that Atrium will have the power to fire WakeMed’s CEO at will — completely contradicting Atrium’s claim that Wake County will retain meaningful local control.

“The people of Wake County have lost sixty years of public investment and sixty years of public trust, in exchange for unclear benefit,” said Rebecca Cerese, Director of the NC Justice Center’s Health Advocacy Project. “They are likely to face higher healthcare costs and worse patient care.”

The NC Justice Center is proud to stand with the powerful community coalition that came together to oppose the Atrium takeover. We are also grateful to Commissioners Waters and Adamson for listening to the concerns of their constituents, advocates and policy experts and voting no on this takeover. It was only through our shared efforts that we could demand concessions to the deal and make our voices heard.

“We are sick of corporations telling us that prices have to go up while they drive the quality of their services down,” said NC Justice Center Director Graig Meyer. “Our fight is not over, and we remain committed to partnering with communities across the state on a healthcare affordability agenda that puts people first.”