By Kathy Chaffin
kchaffin@salisburypost.com
Novant Health is appealing the state’s decision to grant Carolinas Medical Center-NorthEast’s certificate of need application for an eight-story patient tower and the addition of a second story to its Surgery Center.
The Certificate of Need Section of the N.C. Health Service Regulation approved the application in late February. Novant, which owns and operates Rowan Regional Medical Center, filed the appeal March 27 contending the patient tower would take away patients from its facilities in the area.
In filing the petition for a contested case hearing to appeal, Novant deposited a $50,000 bond with the Cabarrus County Clerk of Superior Court as required by state statute.
Scott White, spokesman for Carolinas Healthcare System, the parent company of CMC-NorthEast, said, “The approved project at CMC-NorthEast does not pose a competitive threat to Novant; its sole purpose is to enhance and modernize existing facilities and patient areas currently in use.
“All this appeal will accomplish is to delay a project that the state agrees is needed and that has the widespread support of Concord/Cabarrus county and nearby communities.”
The state approved CMC-NorthEast’s certificate of need application in February. The project would include 424,950 square feet of newly constructed space and 79,140 square feet of renovations to existing, occupied space.
The new patient tower would 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 and surgical and observation units.
Total cost of the proposed project is $264 million. The first phase ó the second floor addition to the surgery center ó was scheduled to open in early 2011.
The opening of phase two ó the eight story tower ó was planned for mid-2013. Renovation of the Mariam Cannon Hayes Center was anticipated for January 2014.
Contact Kathy Chaffin at 704-797-4249.