Duke and UNC unveil new details about joint children's hospital
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A patient is examined at Duke Children's Hospital in Durham. Photo: Duke Health
Duke Health and UNC Health, the Triangle's two largest health care systems, officially announced Tuesday that they will partner together to build the state's first freestanding children's hospital here.
Why it matters: The joint venture, first reported by Axios, will be supported by an initial investment of $320 million from the state of North Carolina and create thousands of new jobs in the Triangle.
- The venture will bring a freestanding children's hospital to the most populous state in the country without one, and it will mean more specialized pediatric care in the state, giving children with complex conditions the ability to stay closer to home rather than be transported out of state for care.
Driving the news: The two health systems, which are affiliated with UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University, will also include a heavy emphasis on research and education backed by each of the university's medical schools, UNC Health and Duke Health announced Tuesday.
- The joint venture will be called North Carolina Children's Hospital, and it is expected to require a significant amount of philanthropic funding.
- NC Children's, along with its surrounding campus, is expected to cost around $2 billion to build.
Zoom in: A location for the hospital has not yet been finalized, but at least three possible spots in the Triangle are in consideration for the planned 100-acre campus, Duke Health CEO Craig Albanese told reporters Tuesday.
- Negotiations for where the campus will be located are currently underway, multiple sources tell Axios.
- The medical campus would include a 500-bed hospital, a surgical center, a medical office building as well as the potential of hotels, restaurants and shops.
- The hope is to break ground on the campus in 2027 and open by 2033.
- Around 3,000 staff members would work at the hospital on a daily basis, according to NC Children's.
The big picture: Children's Flight of Hope, an organization that provides flights for children in need of medical care, flew more children from North Carolina than any other state in 2023, the organization's annual impact report shows.
The children's hospital is slated to have:
- 70 inpatient behavioral health beds
- A 250,000-square-foot ambulatory surgical center
- 70 emergency department treatment bays
- An outpatient care center
- Play areas and rehabilitation facilities
State of play: Given NC Children's will be run by two health systems, the hospital will develop a model that allows both Duke and UNC to retain existing academic appointments.
- It will also have an open medical staff, which NC Children's said allows qualified providers to apply for privileges at the hospital even if they aren't affiliated with either school.
What they're saying: "This is an unprecedented partnership between UNC Health and Duke Health, aimed at elevating the care that's available for all children in North Carolina," UNC Health CEO Wesley Burks said in a statement. "I'm delighted to work with our colleagues at Duke to create something that will make all North Carolinians proud and change lives for generations to come."