After a seven-year effort to increase patient volumes, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health closed Franklin Medical Center in Louisburg, N.C., last October. However, the hospital may reopen by next summer, according to The News & Observer.
On Monday, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners decided to accept a proposal from Brentwood, Tenn.-based Duke LifePoint Healthcare to operate the facility. Duke LifePoint and two other organizations — Franklin County Healthcare Hospital and Practice Accountable Development Group in Louisburg and Raleigh, N.C.-based WakeMed Health and Hospitals — submitted proposals in September to reopen Franklin Medical Center.
Under Duke LifePoint's proposal, the system would spend between $22.8 million and $24 million to renovate Franklin Medical Center. The system wants to operate the facility as a freestanding emergency department. It would also add 13 beds for geriatric mental health patients.
The county board and Duke LifePoint are expected to negotiate final lease terms within 90 days, according to The News & Observer. Franklin Medical Center may reopen within six months, depending on how long it takes to finish construction and hire staff members.
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