One year since coming together with Advocate Health, Hugh Chatham Health and Alleghany Health are expanding access to care across rural North Carolina, connecting nearly 1,000 patients to specialty and higher-acuity services and giving more than 30,000 patients access to a shared digital health platform. Now, the organizations are building on that progress with a new Surgical Technology Program designed to create a local pathway into an in-demand healthcare career.
Advocate Health Chief Executive Officer Eugene A. Woods and Steve Smoot, president of the North Carolina and Georgia Division, visited Hugh Chatham Health on Monday to recognize the one-year milestone and tour the surgical technology education and training space, which is under construction and expected to welcome the first cohort of students in January 2027.
“Coming together has always been about building on the exceptional care and trusted relationships already established in these communities,” Smoot said. “The new Surgical Technology Program builds on that legacy by giving local students a path to grow their careers here. The program helps ensure patients continue to receive trusted care from skilled, caring teammates from their own community, and strengthens care across the region.”
The regional program brings together Surry Community College, Wilkes Community College, Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, Hugh Chatham Health and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, which is part of Advocate Health, with Hugh Chatham serving as the training site. Interest is already strong, with 65 applicants for just 12 seats in the first cohort. The two-semester program will prepare students in surgical technology skills and clinical competencies, with graduates eligible to sit for the Tech in Surgery – Certified examination.
The Surgical Technology Program is the latest initiative in a year of expanded access, new clinical capabilities and investments in the people who care for patients across the region. First-year milestones of the organizations coming together include:
- Connecting nearly 1,000 patients to specialty and higher-acuity services through Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, while creating more opportunities for patients to stay at Hugh Chatham Health for care locally when appropriate.
- Providing more than 30,000 patients with access to their care through one digital platform, making it easier to communicate with their care teams, view test results and manage appointments.
- Expanding access to specialty expertise through more than 70 virtual consultations and encounters across nephrology, pulmonology, infectious disease, neurology, stroke, emergency and critical care.
- Launching a new Lung Cancer Screening Program at Alleghany Health, where nearly 70 patients have been screened to date, bringing greater access to early detection and preventive care.
- Advancing cancer care and clinical research in Elkin through the launch of two oncology clinical trials and a new myeloma specialty clinic at Hugh Chatham Health.
- Investing $19.3 million in capital to support care and operations, along with $11.3 million in teammate total rewards, including base-pay adjustments, market increases and higher minimum starting rates.
- Maintaining strong teammate engagement scores through change, with continued support in teammate well-being, professional development and recognition.
- Strengthening the local healthcare workforce through Hugh Chatham Health’s inaugural Family Medicine Residency, which filled all four positions in its first cohort. This is the first rural-track family medicine residency in Advocate Health’s footprint, designed to teach, train and retain rural physicians.
For Katee Hettleman, community engagement director at Hugh Chatham Health, the impact became personal when her stepfather suffered a serious fall earlier this year and broke his femur.
After receiving care at Hugh Chatham Health, he was transferred to Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist for advanced surgical treatment. Hettleman said the experience demonstrated how teams across the organizations work together to provide coordinated, patient-centered care.
“As an Advocate Health teammate, I am incredibly proud to be part of such an amazing healthcare system. From the moment my stepfather arrived at Hugh Chatham Health through his surgery, rehabilitation and discharge from Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, he received exceptional, compassionate, patient-centered care every step of the way,” Hettleman said. “This experience reinforced what I have always believed: Together, we are stronger.”
During Monday’s visit, Woods and Smoot toured Hugh Chatham’s Surgical Technology Program space, featuring a mock operating room and classroom areas where students can gain hands-on training opportunities in a real healthcare setting.
Woods and Smoot also met with several leaders and teammates, including nursing supervisor Nina “Bunny” Brown, RN, Hugh Chatham’s longest-tenured teammate with 44 years of service. Known for making her famous “Bunny Candy” for teammates each holiday season, Brown was recognized by Woods with a CEO coin and a framed copy of her recipes in honor of her longstanding dedication.
The visit underscored the shared commitment to preserving the local roots of Hugh Chatham Health and Alleghany Health while leveraging Advocate Health’s scale to expand access, introduce new capabilities and create new opportunities for the communities they serve.
“For generations, our communities have trusted Hugh Chatham Health and Alleghany Health to provide safe, high-quality care, and that commitment remains at the heart of who we are,” said Chad Brown, president of Hugh Chatham Health and Alleghany Health. “Over the past year, we’ve expanded specialty care, clinical research and connections to advanced services, giving patients more options for care closer to home.”
Entering their second year together, the organizations have plans to further expand virtual care, introduce new tools to support patients and care teams, enhance safety technology and continue advancing Advocate Health’s purpose of redefining care for all.