Duke Health extends lease on Durham Regional

The Durham County Board of Commissioners on Monday approved extending Duke University Health System's lease on Durham Regional Hospital by 20 years.

The 1998 lease ran for 20 years, and the new arrangement, which takes effect Jan. 1, extends that to 40 years.

“This lease amendment is important to Durham for many reasons,” Ellen Reckhow, chairwoman of the Board of Commissioners, said in a statement. “It not only ensures the long term success of Durham Regional as a leading community hospital, but also reflects a commitment and conviction by the County and (Duke Health) to increase the support and funding of Lincoln Community Health Center and Durham County Emergency Medical Services.”

A state-of-the-art, 22-bed intensive care unit opened in August at Durham Regional, and a hospital-based outpatient clinic to house the Duke Center for Metabolic & Weight Loss Surgery opens this week. Plans call for replacing a cardiac catheterization lab, renovating triage rooms for the hospital’s obstetrics unit, upgrading diagnostic imaging equipment and installing a new pharmacy supply system in the next year or so.

“We are committed to strategically growing programs that serve the citizens of Durham County both now and over the long term,” said Dr. Victor Dzau, Duke Health chief executive. “Our goal is to see Durham Regional Hospital become recognized widely as a model for innovative services and technology in a community hospital setting that brings together the best in community-based physicians and clinical faculty from a renowned academic medical center.”