State health regulators approved plans for two new hospitals in southeastern North Carolina, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday.
Columbus Regional Healthcare System and Novant Health want to build facilities 7 miles apart near the Brunswick-Columbus county line on U.S. 74.
Columbus Regional’s plan calls for a 30-bed hospital in the unincorporated Delco community. Novant Health plans to build a 20-bed facility in the fast-growing Brunswick County town of Leland.
The health care systems submitted their applications to the state just days apart in October and criticized each other’s plans. Under North Carolina’s Certificate of Need law, regulators scrutinize whether applicants’ proposals are cost-effective and necessary.
Novant executives argued that patients in the Winnabow area would “only save one minute of drive time” by going to Columbus Regional’s proposed hospital instead of Novant’s.
Columbus Regional officials alleged that Novant has mismanaged its main Wilmington campus and described the hospital as a “chronically overcrowded facility that is plagued by negative press reports and public perception.”
However, state regulators agreed that both hospitals are needed to improve accessibility and health care options in the region.
The stretch of U.S. 74 corridor near the county line has seen major development. One of the fastest-growing towns in the country, Leland gained almost 10,000 residents between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In Columbus County, Bolton town leaders approved the construction of 133 new homes and commercial spaces in June, and the town will get a new K-8 school in 2027.
The state’s approvals, which were granted last week, are conditional. To get the final go-ahead, both health systems must follow the submitted timelines for opening: Columbus Regional by October 2029, and Novant Health by January 2030. Other conditions include developing and implementing an energy efficiency and sustainability plan.
Columbus Regional East
The new hospital in Delco would be Columbus Regional East. Plans call for building an over $214 million facility at the site of the former Acme-Delco Middle School. The health system began leasing the property from the county for $1 per year in October 2024, according to The News Reporter.
Columbus Regional wants to move 30 of its acute care beds to the planned 144,000-square-foot facility, according to the proposal to state regulators. The site would also feature an operating room, 11 emergency department treatment rooms, and oncology services.
The health system has until April 2027 to secure funding for the project. Construction would begin in June 2027 and finish by the end of May 2029, according to the health system’s conditional approval from the state.
Novant Health Leland Medical Center
Novant Health is a much larger system, with over 900 locations across the Carolinas.
It wants to move 20 acute care beds from its Brunswick Medical Center in Bolivia to a new location, dubbed Novant Health Leland Medical Center, on Fawnbrook Way.
The new facility would feature a 24-hour emergency department, imaging services, 10 observation beds, and five procedure rooms, according to the health system’s Certificate of Need application.
Construction would begin in October 2027 and finish in June 2029, according to the health system’s conditional approval from the state. The new facility is expected to cost over $251 million, according to the health system’s application.
“Our plans for Brunswick County are holistic in that we’re both responding to community need in this fast-growing county while advancing care to each of the communities we serve, both in the hospital setting and through affordable outpatient options,” said Laurie Whalin, president of acute care operations for the Novant Health Coastal Region.
Novant Health said it is also opening a new ambulatory surgery center in the Leland area this summer.
Johanna F. Still contributed reporting