Novant finalizes land purchase for new hospital

SUPPLY—Brunswick Community Hospital is one step closer to its new facility. The purchase of land for the new hospital has recently been finalized.

Novant Health, the Winston-Salem-based owners of Brunswick Community Hospital, has closed on a 100-acre site on U.S. 17 for its replacement hospital, about 3 miles from the hospital’s current location.

The 100-acre site purchased by Novant is part of a larger site owned by the Wilmington-based Cameron Management and Funston Partners.

In January, hospital spokeswoman Amy Myers said Novant entered into a contract with Cameron Management and Funston Partners to purchase the 100-acre tract. The contract was for $50,000 per acre, or $5 million, she said.

But at the time, Novant was still in contract to purchase 72 acres from the county.

Myers said the Cameron Management site is bigger with less wetlands, more U.S. 17 road frontage and more controlled access than the 72-acre, county-owned site.

The 100-acre site also allows for future expansion of the hospital, she said.

Novant’s goal is to break ground on the new hospital facility in the spring of 2008, with construction expected to take 18-24 months.

Though the spring 2008 groundbreaking is later than hospital officials originally anticipated, Myers said it would not affect the overall timeline of the hospital’s construction.

“We are excited that the land purchase is complete and look forward to starting construction,” hospital president and CEO Denise Mihal said.

“We appreciate the nearly 8,000 people who signed letters of support on behalf of our proposal to the state to build a new hospital. With that community support, the new hospital is becoming a reality,” Mihal said.

In November 2006, less than one year after taking over the management of Brunswick Community Hospital, Novant applied for a certificate of need for a 92-bed replacement hospital.

Novant gained state approval for the replacement hospital in April 2007 for a 72-bed replacement facility.

The Brunswick County Board of Adjustment granted Novant a height variance in December 2007, which would allow the hospital to be built up to 20 feet higher than permitted in the county’s unified development ordinance.

Myers said Novant has selected the same architectural firm to build the future Brunswick Community Hospital that was used to build its sister hospital, Presbyterian Hospital Huntersville.

“We already own the plan, and we can make any changes to the plan to fit the hospital,” Myers said.

According to Myers, the new Brunswick Community Hospital will feature private rooms and include the following services:

•74 acute care beds and four observation beds

•Four surgical operating rooms

•One C-section room

•24-hour emergency department

•Maternity center

•Intensive care unit

•Imaging services

•Full-service laboratory and pharmacy

•Outpatient services, including physical therapy, speech therapy and cardiac rehabilitation.