WakeMed to expand in Brier Creek, Garner
State regulators have approved WakeMed's applications to build health care facilities in the Brier Creek area and near Garner, officials said Tuesday.
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WakeMed officials also said that Novant Health has dropped its challenge to a state ruling awarding 41 new hospital beds to WakeMed for a women's hospital in north Raleigh, paving the way for construction to begin on that facility.
“These decisions come at a very important time for WakeMed as we continue to balance the impact of the economic downturn with our need to expand to meet the growing health care needs of our community,” Dr. Bill Atkinson, president and chief executive of WakeMed, said in a statement. “These decisions eliminate costly and time-consuming hurdles and will allow us to move forward when the economy moves further into recovery.”
The state Division of Health Service Regulation initially rejected WakeMed's plan for so-called "healthplexes" in Brier Creek and Garner, but the hospital system appealed the ruling and convinced regulators to reverse their decision.
The WakeMed Brier Creek Healthplex and WakeMed South Healthplex will be about 24,000 square feet each and will feature emergency departments and CT scanners, as well as ultrasound, mammography and laboratory services.
The women's hospital, which will be built at the WakeMed North Healthplex at the intersection of Falls of Neuse and Durant roads, will feature 61 beds – WakeMed had previously been approved for 20 beds at the site – and will offer comprehensive preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic care, including a range of obstetric and gynecological services.
Novant had sought to win the 41 beds to build a hospital in Holly Springs. Rex Healthcare also wanted the beds to expand its campus in west Raleigh.
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