ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW)
AdventHealth says it is moving forward with plans to add 26 hospital beds to a facility on the drawing board for Weaverville, and announced Thursday it plans to submit a Certificate of Need application to the state on June 17.
Meanwhile, hospital officials have scheduled a series of listening sessions for residents of Buncombe, Graham, Madison and Yancey counties to share thoughts about the health needs in their communities.
In 2022, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services approved AdventHealth’s Certificate of Need application to build a hospital to meet the growing need for health care in Buncombe, Graham, Madison and Yancey counties.
HCA/Mission appealed the state’s decision, which led to a trial in fall 2023.
AdventHealth said in March it would build its new hospital off U.S. 25/70 in Weaverville, just west of Interstate 26. The announcement of the facility’s location came while AdventHealth is still waiting to learn the outcome of the appeal.
In the meantime, the NCDHHS said the area would need 26 additional acute care beds by 2026. Not long after that announcement, AdventHealth officials said they would seek the CON to include the 26 additional beds in the facility they plan to build in Weaverville.
Earlier this month, Novant Health announced it wants to build a 26-bed cancer-focused hospital — Novant Health Asheville Medical Center — on a 24-acre site at 455 Long Shoals Road, setting up a health care showdown with AdventHealth.
NOVANT HEALTH PLANS MEDICAL CENTER ON LONG SHOALS ROAD
It is unclear whether HCA/Mission will join the chase for the CON for the 26 additional acute care beds.
When asked if HCA/Mission Health planned to pursue the certificate of need for 26 additional acute care beds by 2026, HCA Healthcare/Mission Health spokesperson Nancy Lindell sent the following statement: “Mission Health remains committed to providing the region’s most advanced healthcare and will continue to take our community’s evolving health needs into account as we look to the future.”
AdventHealth officials said they plan to submit a CON application for the 26 additional beds on June 17, 2024.
Below is a list of AdeventHealth’s upcoming listening sessions:
Yancey County: 4-6 p.m. Tuesday, May 14, at the Yancey County Senior Center, 503 Medical Campus Drive, Burnsville, NC
Graham County: 4-6 p.m. Wednesday, May 15, at the Graham County Community Room, 196 Knight St., Robbinsville, NC
Woodfin: 5-7 p.m. Thursday, May 16, at the Buncombe County Training Center, 20 Canoe Lane, Woodfin, NC
Weaverville: 5-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 21, at the Weaverville Community Center, 60 Lakeshore Drive, Weaverville, NC
Enka-Candler: 4-6 p.m. Thursday, May 30, at the Enka-Candler Public Library, 1404 Sand Hill Road, Candler, NC
“Our community listening sessions are not a requirement of the Certificate of Need application process. AdventHealth is excited for these opportunities to hear what matters to people when it comes to creating health care choices and competition across our region,” AdventHealth spokesperson Victoria Dunkle said.