Zac Long is Tar Heel born and bred
The Carolina law and public health alumnus now serves the state’s residents through his home health business.
Zac Long grew up in Wilmington in a family full of Tar Heels. His mom, dad, brother, uncle and grandfather all graduated from Carolina.
“I knew I wanted to go to law school and UNC was far and away my No. 1 choice,” said Long. “We grew up UNC fans; Carolina sports and the University broadly were real passions that brought us all together. We have loads of great family memories around basketball and football games.”
Now, armed with dual degrees in law and healthcare administration from the UNC School of Law and UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, Long gives back to North Carolina residents as CEO of Well Care Health. The family-owned and -operated company delivers high-quality home health care and hospice home care services in more than 40 counties across the Carolinas. Well Care has consistently been recognized as an industry leader in care quality and has grown to 700 team members that care for more than 5,000 patients.
He graduated in 2012, hoping to combine his passion for the health care industry with law. Long’s experience in Chapel Hill helps him lead a company that serves North Carolina.
“The quality and value of the Carolina education is unparalleled. It prepared me well in so many and gave me a toolkit for success. Through the School of Law, I learned legal concepts but also analytical frameworks for solving complex problems, skills I’ve carried into every role I’ve held,” said Long. “The Master of Healthcare Administration program provided valuable exposure to the overall health care system and how to manage a health care business. I had such a well-rounded and impactful experience at UNC that positioned me well to succeed in my career.”
After graduating from Carolina, Long worked in health care consulting and dental management in Atlanta before moving back to North Carolina to be near his family and rejoin the family business at Well Care.
Well Care helps patients transition into the home care setting and often return to a sense of normalcy, independence and self-care after a medical event. Well Care’s service offerings include nursing care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, social work and home health aides services, all focused on care in patients’ home environment to reduce hospital remissions trips and time in skilled nursing facilities and rehabilitations. Well Care Hospice offers personalized end-of-life care throughout the Piedmont/Triad area, focusing on comfort, dignity and support for patients and their families in their homes.
“We are passionate about what we do. It’s one of those things that might not be people’s first thought when they think of care delivery. A lot of folks think about a hospital environment or more facility-based care, but we provide care in folks’ homes,” said Long, who did his undergraduate studies at Davidson College. “We think about our purpose as not just being core patient care but also how we can positively impact and invest in the communities we serve more broadly.”
Long loves coming back to campus with his wife and two kids for sporting events, all decked out in Carolina blue.
“I really enjoyed my four years at Chapel Hill,” Long said. “I met my wife there and a whole host of friends I’m still close with today. These relationships are important to me in my life. There’s a real sense of community and belonging at Carolina. You feel like you’re part of something bigger and a Tar Heel for life.”
