NorthEast gets OK to add patient tower

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Carolinas Medical Center- NorthEast has gotten state approval to build a new patient tower and add on to its surgery center.
The State of North Carolina has approved the Carolinas HealthCare System application to build an eight-floor patient tower and a second story to the Surgery Center.
This project includes 424,950 square feet of newly constructed space and 79,140 square feet of renovations to existing, occupied space.
The new patient tower will house cardiac, maternity, oncology, interventional radiology and nuclear medicine, renal (kidney) and general medical/surgical beds. Renovations are proposed to the first and second floors of the Mariam Cannon Hayes Family Center to house neurosciences, general medical/surgical and observation units.
“We are very pleased with the state’s approval of this project,” said Michael C. Tarwater, CEO of CHS. “This project will provide badly needed improvements and provide the next step in the evolution of CMC-NorthEast as a true tertiary medical center and regional hub for healthcare.”
Mark Nantz, president of CMC-NE, said, “With the completion of this project, our role as a tertiary care hospital within the Carolinas Medical Center structure will be significantly enhanced, enabling CMC-NorthEast to care for patients who require a higher level of care than available at a community hospital. We will also continue in our essential role as the safety net hospital for this growing region of North Carolina.”
Total cost of the proposed project is $264,360,000. The first phase ó the second floor addition to the surgery center ó is scheduled to open in early 2011.
The opening of phase two ó the eight story tower ó is planned for mid-2013. Renovation of the Mariam Cannon Hayes Center is anticipated for January 2014.
Nantz praised the support of the physicians for the project. “We are indebted to the medical staff of CMC-NorthEast for their commitment to this medical center and the people of the entire region,” he said. “They will be integral as we expand our service area in the coming years.”
“This newly proposed addition to our inpatient facility is particularly welcomed by all of our medical staff as it will provide a significantly improved healing environment for our hospitalized patients,” said Dr. Tim Wax, chief of the medical staff.
“The CMC-NorthEast medical staff strongly supports the decision to move forward with this great addition to our hospital.”