Abstract:
North Carolina Memorial Hospital is a medical tradition in the state. As a major medical center and teaching hospital, it is a symbol of health care at its best--technologically sophisticated, diversified, and specialized. Another aspect of the tradition is that NCMH provides assured access to hospital services to indigent residents in North Carolina. This article examines NCMH's role in providing access for the poor, and the basis for its role, relationship with other hospitals, and if it can continue its function for the poor.