Atrium Health seeks approval for $86 million satellite hospital in Cabarrus County
Atrium Health is seeking state approval of an $85.8 million satellite hospital in Cabarrus County, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services.
The hospital would add inpatient, surgical services and fixed MRI services to Atrium’s emergency department on Rocky River Road in Harrisburg, an Atrium health spokesman told The Charlotte Observer Tuesday.
Atrium Health Harrisburg would be the result of relocating 24 acute care beds and one operating room from the Atrium Health Cabarrus hospital in Concord, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a news release Tuesday.
The project would be completed by December 2025. Atrium Health, which does business as Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority, filed a Certificate of Need application for the project on Aug. 15, according to state records.
The state has 150 days from Sept. 1 — or the end of January — to complete its review of the application. The North Carolina Certificate of Need law requires health care providers such as Atrium to get a certificate before building a new health care facility or adding beds to existing facilities.
A public hearing is set for Oct. 17 at 10 a.m. at the Cabarrus County Library auditorium, 27 Union St. N., Concord.
Written comments can be submitted via email or regular mail. The email address is DHSR.CON.Comments@dhhs.nc.gov. The mailing address is Healthcare Planning and Certificate of Need Section, Division of Health Service Regulation, 2704 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-2704.
Support for Harrisburg project
A number of groups including the Cabarrus Economic Development team voiced their support for the hospital expansion in Harrisburg.
The groups pointed to Harrisburg’s growth over the past decade. The town’s population was around 11,500 in 2010, according to U.S. Census data. It grew to just under 19,000 by 2020.
The letters said that when someone needs more advanced care, people must travel out of Harrisburg to get it.
A “significant” number of people in Harrisburg travel each year to receive inpatient care at Atrium Health Cabarrus, the letters state.
“I believe this proposal to develop inpatient and surgical services at Atrium Health Harrisburg will provide the local access to inpatient and outpatient care that patients need in a location that is more convenient,” Page Castrodale, executive director of Cabarrus Economic Development, wrote in her letter of support.
Atrium’s other expansion plans
The plans in Harrisburg follow other big announcements from the health care provider in recent months.
In May, Atrium announced plans to combine with Illinois and Wisconsin-based Advocate Aurora Health, making the new company the fifth largest hospital system in terms of revenue.
Atrium is also behind a new $1.5 billion innovation district that includes a four-year medical school, hotel, residential tower, offices and retail close to uptown. It’s being called The Pearl.
This story was originally published September 6, 2022 at 4:32 PM.
