Central Regional Hospital to open Monday

Butner, N.C. — Patients and staff from John Umstead Hospital in Butner will begin their move to the state's nearby new Central Regional Hospital one week late, according to a press release issued Tuesday. The transfer, which was to happen Monday, will begin July 21.

The hospital received notice Tuesday that all aspects of the $130 million psychiatric facility meet federal and state safety requirements, officials said.

The moves of patients from Umstead and Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh have been delayed several times so the state could hire more staff and provide proper training, as well as to address construction and safety issues with the new facility.

Umstead will continue to serve younger patients with the opening of a new child and adolescent unit. 

Patients from Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh are scheduled to move once the Umstead move is complete. The use of the Burner site has spurred major debate in Raleigh.