Agreement reached to reopen Franklin Medical Center in 2018

On Monday, the Franklin County Board of Commissioners announced it had reached an agreement for Duke Lifepoint to operate Franklin Medical Center as part of the system's Henderson hospital, Maria Parham Health.

Franklin Medical Center will be turned into a freestanding emergency department with around-the-clock emergency care, diagnostic services and behavioral health services.

“The community has been without access to local care for too long. Maria Parham has exciting plans for the Franklin Medical Center site, and we look forward to working with its team to relaunch crucial medical services here and advance efforts to ensure the health of everyone who lives in this region,” said Franklin County Commissioner Sidney E. Dunston.

The reopening of the hospital is expected to bring at least 65 new jobs to Franklin County.

The project is supported by $10.1 million in funding from the state’s Dorothea Dix Hospital Property Fund grant and an additional $750,000 state grant for job creation.

The emergency department is expected to open in mid- to late 2018, after renovations are made and staff members are hired.

Last year, Dunston said the equipment inside the hospital was being maintained since its closure to make sure it remained in operating condition.

A second phase of the project will involve re-establishing and expanding behavioral health services in the community, including reopening the hospital’s 13-bed geriatric behavioral health unit and expanding the number of available beds. Services will also be expanded to include inpatient adult behavioral health. This phase is expected to be completed by late 2018.

“Teamwork and cooperation helped this project move forward,” said Louisburg Mayor Karl Pernell. “The renovations of this facility will provide all of use with a first-class emergency department as well as behavioral health beds.”