Duke Endowment donates $100 million to N.C. Children's Hospital
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A rendering of the future N.C. Children's Hospital in Apex. Photo: Courtesy of N.C. Children's
The Duke Endowment is donating $100 million toward the creation of the North Carolina Children's Hospital in Apex.
Why it matters: Jointly run by UNC Health and Duke Health, N.C. Children's is one of the largest development efforts in the entire state and would be the first freestanding children's hospital in North Carolina.
- It's expected to break ground next year and create 8,000 new jobs once it opens in the early 2030s.
Driving the news: The Duke Endowment, a private foundation created by the tobacco and electric power industrialist James Buchanan Duke, announced the gift Tuesday morning in Apex. It's the largest donation yet for the hospital.
Flashback: The donation follows a previous $25 million gift from Coca-Cola Consolidated. The state legislature put $425 million toward the construction and gave UNC and Duke antitrust protections in how they run the children's hospital.
- Some legislative leaders, including outgoing Senate leader Phil Berger, hoped to give hundreds of millions more, but the proposal didn't survive budget negotiations.
What they're saying: "By supporting the collaboration of institutions that have deep ties to the Endowment," Charles Lucas, chair of The Duke Endowment, said in a statement, "we have an opportunity to expand pediatric care and expertise, advance research and innovation and make a lasting difference for children and families throughout the Carolinas and the region."
The big picture: North Carolina is considered the most populous state in the country without a freestanding children's hospital. Advocates often point to stories of children having to travel to places like Philadelphia, Atlanta or Ohio to receive specialty care.
- Officials hope N.C. Children's will mean more specialized pediatric care in the state, giving patients with complex conditions the ability to stay closer to home and a venue for more pediatric health research to be piloted here.
What's next: N.C. Children's will be built in the under-construction Veridea development in Apex, near the intersection of U.S. 1 and the Triangle Expressway.
- The hospital will be built on 220 acres of open land there — a large site that made it attractive for the search team. Originally, UNC and Duke said they were looking for 100 acres of land located centrally in the Triangle.
- More than 15 sites across the Triangle were considered. They picked Apex for a handful of reasons, including ease of access by car and air, alignment with the local governments to support construction and operations, ample room to grow, and proximity to both UNC and Duke.