More than 2,000 Novant Health employees will get a pay raise in January when the Winston-Salem-based health care system raises its minimum wage from $12.50 per hour to $15 per hour. North Carolina’s minimum wage is $7.25.
 
The private, nonprofit health network has 30,000 employees at its locations, most of which are in North Carolina, including Brunswick Medical Center in Bolivia. With its pending purchase of New Hanover Regional Medical Center, Novant will be adding 7,000 employees to its workforce.
 
“Novant Health is dedicated to caring for our communities, starting with our own team members,” said Carl Armato, Novant Health president and CEO. “Though we’ve adjusted our living wage over the past several years, we recognized an opportunity to further invest in our team members to ensure they have the resources they need to live and thrive in the communities we serve.”
 
“This update to our living wage represents a $4.3 million investment in our team members,” said Carmen Canales, senior vice president and chief human resources officer. “We believe that offering a living wage improves the economic mobility of our team members and reinforces our commitment to attract and retain the best people to carry out our mission to improve the health of our communities, one person at a time.”