Scoop: Duke and UNC will partner on new $2 billion children's hospital in the Triangle
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
UNC Health and Duke Health, the Triangle's two largest health care providers, will join forces to open a new children's hospital in the Triangle with financial backing from the state, multiple sources familiar with the plans told Axios.
Why it matters: The hospital, which is expected to cost around $2 billion, would be the first standalone children's hospital in the state. It would likely create thousands of jobs, from construction workers to health care professionals.
- The hospital would provide more capacity to treat children with complex pediatric health issues. Many other fast-growing states already have similar hospitals, including the 446-bed Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Arthur M. Blank Hospital, which opened last year.
Driving the news: State officials and representatives from Duke and UNC are expected to announce the deal on Tuesday in Raleigh.
- Spokespeople for both UNC Health and Duke Health declined to comment.
Zoom in: The state has already pledged $320 million toward the creation of a children's hospital in the Triangle through its budget in 2023, Axios previously reported.
- But around $1 billion in philanthropic funds would also be needed, said the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the plans.
- The hospital would have around 500 beds, UNC Health has said in recent months, and a significant amount of resources would be placed toward behavioral health.
- It would be larger than existing children's health facilities located at UNC's hospital in Chapel Hill, Duke's in Durham and WakeMed's in Raleigh.
State of play: The hospital would need to be built on around 100 acres of land — a tough task in the Triangle's competitive real estate landscape — and a location has not yet been finalized.
- But negotiations on land have been had and the preference is to have the hospital in a central location in the Triangle, according to sources.
- UNC Health has said previously the goal is to have the standalone hospital open by the early 2030s.