After losing out to Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare for a hospital in Buncombe County, N.C., in 2017, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health is again attempting to build a new hospital in the county, Citizen Times reported Aug. 8.
Novant Health seeks to build a 67-bed acute care hospital under the state's certificate-of-need law. It is again in competition with HCA Healthcare's Asheville, N.C.-based Mission Hospital along with Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth.
If chosen, Novant Health will invest $328.7 million into the new facility and has a slated opening date of early 2027, the latest of the three proposals. Mission Hospital's proposed opening would be in 2026 and AdventHealth's in 2025.
Novant Health's proposal includes 53 medical-surgical beds, eight intensive care unit beds, and six labor and delivery beds. It also proposes a 35-bay emergency department. The health system also plans to hire local physicians as opposed to bringing in current Novant Health staff.