The takeover of Burgaw, N.C.-based Pender Medical Center by Novant Health, which plans to turn the facility into a community hospital, took a step forward when county commissioners voted unanimously to approve the transaction, according to a Sept. 18 report from NBC affiliate WECT6 News.
The center, which has been leased to Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant since 2021, would see a $50 million investment to transform it into a community hospital. Novant Health, which would invest those funds over a 10-year period, also wants to keep the Pender center as a critical access hospital.
The transaction is expected to close by the end of the year.
In August, Novant Health said it is set to become a 30 percent owner of Conway (S.C.) Medical Center as the two systems formed a strategic partnership.