Chapel Hill, N.C.-based UNC Hospitals says it found out it inadvertently donated $58,633 to a dark money political group earlier this year thanks to a local news investigation.
WBTV obtained documents showing UNC paid the sum as part of its dues to the North Carolina Healthcare Association. A letter from the NCHA president to UNC Hospitals President Gary Park noted the charge, and it was listed as a line item on an invoice as "Special Assessment – Board approved one time contribution to Partners for Innovation in Health Care," and signed off on by an administrator, according to the report.
Partners for Innovation in Health Care is the dark money political group — called a "dark money" group because it does not publicly disclose its donors. The advocacy group is fighting a proposal that WBTV says would make healthcare prices more transparent.
In a statement to WBTV, a UNC spokesperson said the system mistakenly paid for the special assessment. "This was an administrative oversight and has been rectified," the spokesperson said. "NCHA confirms it did not use UNC Hospitals funds for its 501(c)(4) organization and has since refunded that money."
Read the full story here.
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