New hospital, new name for Brunswick County

SUPPLY—A little more than two years after Novant Health took over Brunswick Community Hospital, Brunswick County will have a new hospital.

Novant officials hosted a construction kickoff Monday at the future site of Brunswick County’s new hospital, about three miles from the current hospital on U.S. 17 in Supply.

When deciding on a name for the new 74-bed facility, hospital president and CEO Denise Mihal said community members urged Novant officials to keep “Brunswick” in the hospital’s name.

Mihal unveiled the name of the future hospital before about 100 supporters Monday afternoon —Brunswick Novant Medical Center.

“Today marks the start of our construction,” Mihal said. “We have been waiting for this day for a long time.”

Mihal thanked two “loyal supporters” of the new hospital—David Sandifer, the late county commissioners chairman, and Pete Barnette, the late chairman of the Brunswick County Hospital Authority.

“It is with their support as well as many others in this room that we are here,” she said.

Construction of the new facility, which officially kicked off Monday, is expected to be completed in early 2010.

Brunswick Community Hospital and the future Brunswick Novant Medical Center are owned and operated by Novant Health, a nonprofit healthcare provider based in Winston-Salem.

Paul Wiles, president and CEO of Novant, said Novant officials found “marvelous support across the Brunswick County community.”

“I’m impressed with the community’s commitment to improving healthcare for its residents,” Wiles said.

Novant took over the management of Brunswick Community Hospital in March 2006. Less than a year later, Novant applied for a certificate of need to the state division of facility services for a 92-bed replacement hospital. More than 8,000 letters of support from the community were included in Novant’s application.

In April 2007, Novant was granted approval to build a replacement hospital, but for 74 beds rather than the 92 beds officials sought.

After mulling over a few different locations, Novant purchased the 100-acre site off U.S. 17 in March from Wilmington-based developers Cameron Management. The hospital’s site is part of a larger site owned by Cameron Management, which is slated for mixed-use development.

In addition to 74 acute-care beds, Brunswick Novant Medical Center will include four observation beds, four surgical operating rooms, one C-section room, a 24-hour emergency department, a maternity center, an intensive care unit, imaging services, a full-service laboratory and pharmacy and various outpatient