If you’re a patient or provider at UNC Hospitals, you already know parking has been a long-standing issue. The explanation most often given is that it’s a problem between the university-owned parking system and the hospital — but that distinction does not solve the accessibility crisis patients face every day.

A seven-story surgical center was built while the parking system was already strained, without increasing parking capacity. At the same time, ADA parking capacity was reduced with the removal of the only dedicated handicapped lot, and the golf-cart transport system that once supported disabled patients was eliminated. Thousands more patients now move through this campus every week, navigating longer distances, fewer accessible options, and increased reliance on paid valet.

The result is a system that many patients simply cannot safely navigate.

Patients with limited mobility are walking long inclines, waiting extended periods for transport, or paying out of pocket for valet just to access care. Valet does not consistently have transport staff immediately available, which assumes patients can stand, wait, or walk to request help — an assumption that is not medically realistic for many.

Even designated accessible areas are restricted. The small lot near the cancer center — one of the closest access points to hospital entrances and elevators — is largely limited to radiation permit holders, while additional spaces are occupied by utility and transport vehicles. Patients receiving chemotherapy and other ongoing treatments often visit just as frequently, yet have no equivalent accommodation.

This is not a new concern. 

Long-term patients, staff, and caregivers have been raising it for years. Patient volume has grown significantly across the surgical center, cancer center, Memorial Hospital, Children’s Hospital, Women’s Hospital, and the emergency department, without a parallel expansion of accessible parking or transport.

The stress this creates affects the entire care environment. Patients arrive already exhausted, anxious, and physically strained before they even reach the door. Vital signs are taken while patients are still recovering from the effort of simply getting inside. Waiting rooms fill with conversations about parking instead of care. Direct admits and urgent visits are delayed when accessible arrival isn’t possible.

Even direct ER admits are affected. Patients sent by their physicians for urgent evaluation can arrive to find ER parking full and are redirected to valet on the opposite side of the hospital, with no clinical staff assessing whether they are physically able to make that trip. Access decisions are being made at parking booths rather than at the point of care, delaying treatment and putting medically vulnerable patients at risk.

People come to UNC because of its reputation for excellence. Many are long-time patients, volunteers, advocates, and supporters who have fundraised for these facilities and trusted this institution for decades. Accessibility should reflect that same standard of care.

This petition is not about assigning blame. It is about asking the hospital and the university to come to the same table and solve a problem that sits between them but lands squarely on patients.

We are asking for measurable, meaningful improvements in accessibility. These are patient-informed ideas — starting points for real solutions:

- A dedicated level of the parking deck reserved for handicapped parking

- Consistent, ready transport on that level — not by request only, but visibly available

- Immediate transport presence at valet for patients who cannot walk from drop-off

- Re-evaluation of the cancer center access lot to prioritize disabled patient use

- Restoration of a continuous shuttle or golf-cart transport system connecting accessible parking to hospital entrances

- Clear coordination between the university and hospital so accessibility is treated as a shared responsibility, not an unresolved jurisdiction issue

Patients should not have to choose between paying for parking and buying groceries.
Patients should not arrive at care already physically depleted.
Patients with disabilities should not have to prove, explain, or fight for basic access.

We are calling on both UNC Health and the University of North Carolina to honor their stated missions and commitments to patient care, equity, and community. Accessibility is not optional in healthcare — it is fundamental.

If you are a patient, caregiver, staff member, or community supporter who has experienced this barrier, add your voice.