The Patients Union

08/10/2026

A better healthcare system won't build itself. It's going to take patients coming together and organizing for the care we all deserve.

That's what we're building in Western North Carolina.

Join us on October 21 for our next Local Patients Union member meeting!

We'll come together to connect, share experiences, and imagine what's possible when patients organize to fight for dignified healthcare in our communities.

Wednesday, October 21, 6–8 PM
First Congregational Church, 20 Oak Street, Asheville
Dinner provided

You don't need organizing experience to join us. Just bring yourself, your experiences, and your ideas for what we can build together.

RSVP: https://actionnetwork.org/events/wnc-patients-member-meeting-10-21/?source=fb

01/10/2026

This is what happens when patients refuse to be left out of decisions about our healthcare.

When Wake County residents learned that Atrium Health was seeking control of WakeMed, commissioners were preparing to vote within days.

So patients organized.

We asked questions. We packed meetings. We held a town hall. We rallied. We brought together patients, healthcare workers, community organizations, state workers, faith leaders, and longtime Wake County residents. We demanded transparency and a voice in a decision that could shape healthcare in Wake County for generations.

And the deal changed.

Over the months that followed, as patients kept showing up and the deal faced greater public scrutiny, the proposal gained stronger protections and commitments for patients and the community.

On September 21, the Wake County Commission voted 5–2 to let the deal move forward. But this fight isn’t over. We’re taking the fight for patients to have a say in WakeMed’s future to the North Carolina Attorney General.

This is the story of the fight for —and what happens when patients organize.

22/09/2026

We organized. We rallied. We spoke out. We demanded answers. And together, patients and workers forced more transparency and stronger commitments from Atrium and WakeMed.

The Wake County Commissioners may have voted to let the takeover move forward. But this fight showed us something bigger: when patients organize, we have power.

This is why we started The Patients Union.

And this is just the beginning.

21/09/2026

“If someone is asking you to do something that in your gut you worry is wrong, and they want to make you feel better by paying you $2 billion, tells you everything you need to know.

21/09/2026

Raleigh: We're gathering TODAY.

Join patients, workers, and community members at 12:30 PM at Nash Square ahead of the Wake County Commissioners meeting.

Come stand with your neighbors and make your voice heard about the future of WakeMed.

RSVP + bring a friend or neighbor: https://actionnetwork.org/events/wake-county-board-of-commissioners-meeting/?source=fb

21/09/2026

The Patients Union is grateful that Commissioners Vickie Adamson and Tara Waters have publicly committed to voting no on the proposed Atrium takeover of WakeMed.

Their statements reflect concerns patients across Wake County have raised for months: the risk of higher healthcare costs, the loss of local control, and a rushed process that has left the public with too little time and too few answers about a decision that could reshape healthcare in Wake County for decades.

More than 1,500 Wake County residents have signed a petition calling on commissioners to reject the deal, and hundreds have participated in town halls, community meetings, and public hearings throughout the summer.

The revised proposal does not resolve the fundamental concerns patients have raised about affordability, governance, and accountability. WakeMed is a thriving community hospital, and patients deserve better than a deal negotiated behind closed doors and pushed forward without adequate public scrutiny.

We appreciate Commissioners Adamson and Waters making their positions clear. Now, we urge the full Commission to take these concerns seriously as it considers the proposal.

The Wake County Board of Commissioners is scheduled to vote Monday on proposed merger between WakeMed and Atrium Health. Some commissioners tell WRAL they're still skeptical, while others say the deal will serve North Carolinians.

18/09/2026

“I hope it's more.”

That's what WakeMed CEO Donald Gintzig said when asked what could happen to prices under the proposed Atrium takeover of WakeMed.

Wake County Commissioners are scheduled to vote Monday on changes that would allow the deal to move forward.

We're rallying before the vote to tell commissioners: Vote NO. Stop the Atrium takeover of WakeMed.

📅 Monday, Sept. 21 @ 12:30 PM
📍 Nash Square, 200 S. McDowell St., Raleigh

Bring a friend and join us: https://actionnetwork.org/events/wake-county-board-of-commissioners-meeting/?source=fb

17/09/2026

🚨 WAKE COUNTY: RALLY TO STOP THE WAKEMED TAKEOVER

Wake County Commissioners will likely vote Monday on legal changes needed for the proposed Atrium Health–WakeMed combination to move forward.

We're coming together to tell commissioners: patients and our community deserve a healthcare system accountable to us.

📅 Monday, September 21
⏰ 12:30 PM
📍 Nash Square, 200 S. McDowell St., Raleigh

Join us: https://actionnetwork.org/events/wake-county-board-of-commissioners-meeting/?source=fb

Show up. Bring a friend. Make sure commissioners hear from patients before they vote.

08/09/2026

Atrium Health wants to take over WakeMed. We’ve seen in Asheville, NC what can happen when community hospitals are taken over by massive healthcare systems. Patients deserve answers.

Wake County Commissioners vote as soon as Sept 8.
Tell them NO: https://actionnetwork.org/events/wake-county-commissioners-mtg/?source=toolkit