UNC Health breaks ground on Research Triangle Park hospital
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Rendering: UNC Health
UNC Health broke ground Tuesday on a new hospital on the edge of Research Triangle Park.
Why it matters: The hospital, expected to open by 2032, is a key part of UNC Health's local growth strategy and will add 144 new beds to the area and employ around 1,000 people, according to UNC.
State of play: As the Triangle's population continues to grow, hospital networks have competed heavily to add new hospitals in the region, going through the state's certificate-of-need applications to win approvals.
- UNC Health and Duke Health have both identified new facilities as key to tackling that growth. And increased competition was among the biggest reasons WakeMed cited for its proposed combination with Atrium Health.
What they're saying: "What we know is that by 2035, there are projected to be about 44,000 new people moving in tho the Triangle," Min Lee, president of UNC Hospitals, told Axios.
- "Our public mission is to serve the people of North Carolina," she added. "That means focusing on our academic mission of research, clinical trials, innovation, but also connecting that care closer to communities."
- The central location of the Research Triangle Park site makes it easier for patients from Cary and Raleigh to access UNC Health care and initiatives like clinical trials, she said.
Zoom in: The 48-acre medical campus is located at 3490 Hopson Road Extension in Durham.
- In addition to the hospital, UNC Health plans to open a medical office building there by 2028, which will have an emphasis on oncology, according to UNC.
- The hospital is expected to be six stories tall and have a 900-space parking deck attached to it.
The big picture: UNC Health's expansion plans extend well beyond Research Triangle Park.
- It also has plans to partner with Duke Health on the N.C. Children's Hospital in Apex and it has applied for approvals to build hospitals in Wilmington and Asheville.
- UNC Health is also expanding its hospital in Holly Springs and has plans to expand facilities in Clayton, Chapel Hill and Raleigh.