State approves new 50-bed, $336M hospital in Cabarrus County for Novant
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Novant Health secured state approval to build a 50-bed hospital in Concord by 2030.
- Project fills 40-mile care gap, expanding services to Rowan and Stanly counties.
- State awarded 126 of 176 proposed beds, splitting approval between Novant and Atrium.
Novant Health has received approval from the state of North Carolina to build a new 50-bed hospital in Cabarrus County, the company announced Thursday.
The project, expected to cost more than $336 million, will open by 2030 at 2401 Trinity Church Road in Concord. The new facility will also expand care for patients in Rowan and Stanly counties, according to a news release.
The hospital will feature an emergency department, procedure rooms, lab services, and surgery care in addition to the 50 new beds.
The decision was made by the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services through the Certificate of Need application process, which state law requires for health care providers to acquire, replace or add facilities and equipment. The process is designed to control increasing health care costs and prevent the duplication of services.
“Simply put, we’re delivering on our commitment to meet our patients where they are,” said Dr. Sid Fletcher, senior vice president at Novant. “We know many residents in this area have traveled long commutes for care at our facilities in Charlotte and Salisbury. Now we can bring that same care closer to home for them.”
This project will fill a care gap of more than 40 miles between Novant’s hospitals in Rowan and Mecklenburg counties.
Competing proposals
Novant submitted a proposal to the state health department to address the need for 126 new acute-care hospital beds in the county by 2027 for short-term patients, according to the 2025 State Medical Facilities Plan.
Atrium Health also submitted a proposal to the state to help fill the need. The company received conditional approval to add 76 beds at the Atrium Health Cabarrus campus in Concord, bringing the total to 577 beds at the facility.
While the combined applications from both companies totaled 176 new acute-care beds, only 126 were approved.
Atrium is currently evaluating next steps, the health care company said in a statement Friday to The Charlotte Observer. “With approximately 117 new residents moving to the Charlotte region daily, our hospitals in Mecklenburg, Union and Cabarrus counties often operate at or near full capacity,” Atrium said. “This reflects both the rising demand for exceptional care and the deep trust our communities place in us.”
The state approved Novant’s project based on the company being a new competitor in the area. Atrium’s project was approved based on its scope of services. While Atrium had requested all 126 beds, the state approved only 76 for a patient tower, The Charlotte Observer previously reported.
It will be adjacent to the existing hospital and is part of a larger project that includes the expansion and relocation of services such as labs, pharmacy and administrative offices. A new parking deck and an emergency room are also part of the plan.
According to state documents, Atrium’s project is expected to cost more than $208 million, with construction slated for completion by April 2031.
More on Atrium and Novant
Novant is one of the largest hospital systems in North Carolina and the Southeast.
Its network includes more than 900 locations, 19 hospitals, 750 physician clinics, urgent care centers, and outpatient facilities, employing 40,000 people.
Atrium Health is part of Charlotte-based Advocate Health, the third-largest nonprofit health system in the U.S., which serves about 6 million patients. With more than 155,000 employees, the system operates 68 hospitals and over 1,000 health care locations.
This story was originally published August 14, 2025 at 5:59 PM.
