Novant and Atrium compete to add more hospital beds in Mecklenburg County
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- Atrium and Novant filed proposals to add 210 acute care beds in Mecklenburg County.
- Combined hospital expansion costs exceed $500 million, pending state approval.
- Public hearings for bed and OR projects scheduled for August 18 and 19 in Charlotte.
Charlotte’s largest hospital systems are competing to add more beds for patients in the region, with combined requests totaling over $500 million.
Atrium Health and Novant Health submitted proposals to North Carolina’s health department to expand medical services in Mecklenburg County. There’s a need to add 210 acute care beds for the early 2030s, according to the 2025 State Medical Facilities Plan and submitted applications.
Novant and Atrium responded and filed Certificate of Need applications with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services. If two or more hospitals are competing for services in a specific area, state regulators will review applications to see if they meet CON requirements before moving forward.
State law doesn’t allow hospitals to buy, replace or add to their facilities and equipment, except in certain circumstances, without approval from the state. The approval process is required to make sure services are not duplicated.
Atrium proposals
Under the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority, Atrium Health submitted two proposals for projects.
One includes 95 additional acute care beds at the Atrium Health University City Hospital in Charlotte. The projected cost is $168 million and the estimated completion date is October 2031.
It will be developed in a new patient tower planned for Atrium Health University City’s main campus, located adjacent and connected to the existing hospital building. The project also involves the development of necessary support spaces across three floors. Some of these features include waiting areas, patient consult rooms, elevators, bathrooms, soiled/clean utility rooms, and nurse workstations, according to the application.
The other calls for an additional 115 beds at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, with a cost of $162 million. They will be added to four levels of a new patient tower currently under construction on the campus. This project would be completed by April 2027, if approved by the state.
Novant’s proposals
Novant also sent two competing proposals.
The first is to add 50 acute care beds at Huntersville Medical Center. It’s expected to cost $35 million and would be finished in January 2031.
Novant’s second request is for another 120 beds at Presbyterian Medical Center, in Charlotte, at the new patient tower on its campus. From that total, 16 of the beds will be developed as intensive care unit beds and 104 will be for medical/surgical needs.
The projected cost is $143 million. If approved, it would be completed in January 2031.
Operating Rooms
Along with hospital beds, Novant and Atrium are responding to requests to build more operating rooms. The state’s 2025 facilities plan is requesting five for the Charlotte region.
Novant sent requests for two.
One is for two additional operating rooms at its Matthews Medical Center. The project is expected to cost $3.3 million and would be completed in January 2028.
Novant’s second $45.6 million proposal is for two additional operating rooms at its Presbyterian Medical Center. If approved by the state it would be completed in January 2031.
Atrium’s single request under the hospital authority is for five additional operating rooms at Carolinas Medical Center. The projected cost is $21.7 million and would be completed in April 2027.
What’s next?
A public hearing for the bed projects is scheduled for 10 a.m. Aug. 18, in the Community Room of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library - University City Regional Library, 5528 Waters Edge Village Drive, Charlotte.
The public hearing for the operating rooms is scheduled for 10 a.m. Aug. 19, in the Community Room B of Allegra Westbrooks Regional Library, 2412 Beatties Ford Road, Charlotte.
Anyone may file written comments concerning these proposals. Comments must be received by the Healthcare Planning and Certificate of Need Section no later than 5 p.m. July 31. They may be submitted as an attachment to an email if they are sent to DHSR.CON.Comments@dhhs.nc.gov.
Residents may also mail comments to:Healthcare Planning and Certificate of Need Section, Division of Health Service Regulation, 2704 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-2704.
More on Atrium and Novant
Atrium Health is a part of Charlotte-based Advocate Health. The hospital system is the third-largest nonprofit health system in the U.S. and serves about 6 million patients.
More than 155,000 employees work in 68 hospitals and over 1,000 health care locations.
Atrium worked with Wake Forest University and Wexford Science & Technology to open the first four-year medical school in Charlotte. Classes start July 14. Wake Forest University School of Medicine-Charlotte is the second campus for the Winston-Salem-based school.
The campus is on the corner of South McDowell and Baxter streets in the Pearl District, a district with retail, offices, hotels and apartments.
Novant Health, headquartered in Winston-Salem, is one of the largest hospital systems in North Carolina and the Southeast.
Novant’s network has more than 900 locations, including 19 hospitals, 750 physician clinics, urgent care centers, outpatient facilities and imaging services.
