By Ann McAdams | October 19, 2020 at 2:13 PM EDT – Updated October 19 at 8:15 PM
NEW HANOVER COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC) is looking to expand. They have submitted an application to the state to build a 66-bed facility in Scotts Hill. The Certificate of Need application is under review by the N.C. Division of Health Service Regulation.
“In this application, NHRMC proposes specifically to address the quality of access to acute care services through the relocation of 30 of its existing acute care beds along with 36 new acute care beds to develop a new community hospital in the fastest growing area of the county – Scotts Hill, New Hanover County,” the application to the state reads.
The application was submitted in September and lists the total project cost at $210 million.
“NHRMC will demonstrate that it has experienced significant growth in demand for acute care services and is exceeding capacity levels as recognized by the 2020 [State Medical Facilities Plan]…. As will be discussed herein, NHRMC proposes to shift low-acuity patient volume from its busy main campus to the proposed new campus, NHRMC – Scotts Hill. The new hospital will be a right-sized, community hospital designed to be more accessible for elderly and rural patients who may find the vast, sprawling NHRMC main campus, in congested downtown Wilmington, to be intimidating and overwhelming. Further, the proposed project will improve geographic access to care for residents of northern New Hanover County who currently must travel into the heart of Wilmington to the NHRMC main campus for care,” the applications states.
NHRMC noted that its main campus on 17th street is “crowded and highly congested.” The hospital is proposing to relocate 30 licensed acute care beds from its Orthopedic Hospital on Wrightsville Avenue to the new Scotts Hill Campus. In addition, 36 new beds would be added, in keeping with the need determined by the state.
“[With the] planned closure of the nearby NHRMC Orthopedic Hospital, NHRMC is in need of expanded capacity at a new location to accommodate shifting patient volumes. This will free up capacity at NHRMC Main to continue serving higher acuity patients from across the county and region and ensure that there is no gap in care for patients historically served by the Orthopedic Hospital,” the application says.
It says following the implementation of this project, the Orthopedic Campus will no longer offer inpatient services. In addition to the 30 beds being shifted to Scotts Hill, the Orthopedic Hospital’s remaining 45 beds would be added to the hospital’s main campus on 17th street.
The new hospital campus would be located in the same place as the ED North, a freestanding emergency department operated by NHRMC. It would include a two-story addition to the existing emergency department. The first floor of the facility will house the surgery department and most support services with the second-floor housing the acute care beds and support space.
Copyright 2020 WECT. All rights reserved.
