North Carolina Health Systems Compete for New Hospital Approvals in New Hanover County
Three major healthcare providers, Atrium Health, UNC Health, and Novant Health, are competing for Certificate of Need (CON) approval from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) to build new hospital facilities in New Hanover County, North Carolina. Atrium Health has proposed a 42-bed community hospital near Porters Neck, while UNC Health aims to build a 150-bed community hospital at the intersection of Shipyard Boulevard and South 17th Street. Novant Health is seeking to expand its existing Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center campus with a 225-bed heart and vascular tower. A public hearing was held where community members and health system officials presented their cases, with hundreds of public letters supporting UNC Health's proposal. The NCDHHS' Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) will independently review these applications based on criteria from the State Medical Facilities Plan (SMFP), which identified a need for 225 acute care beds in the county for 2026. Th... 
