Proposed 17th Street campus would bring long‑awaited competition, expanded specialty care, and relief for fast‑growing communities on both sides of the river
Wilmington, NC — UNC Health’s plan to build a new community hospital in Wilmington is moving forward as state data shows southeastern North Carolina is on track to face a significant shortage of hospital beds by 2028. The project, expected to enter the state’s Certificate of Need process in mid‑June of this year, would create the first major alternative to Novant Health in decades and expand access for families in both New Hanover County and northern Brunswick County.
The proposed hospital would sit on a 62‑acre site at the southeast corner of South 17th Street and Shipyard Boulevard, less than a mile from Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center. UNC Health leaders say the location was chosen for its central access, proximity to underserved neighborhoods, and ability to relieve pressure on the county’s only existing hospital system.
According to the 2026 State Medical Facilities Plan, New Hanover County will need 225 additional acute‑care beds by 2028. That projected shortfall opened the competitive window UNC Health is entering. Novant has already signaled it will apply for the same allocation, citing rising patient volumes and seasonal surges that often push the hospital over capacity.
The strain is not limited to New Hanover County. Northern Brunswick County, including Leland, Belville, Navassa, and the U.S. 17 corridor has become one of the fastest‑growing regions in the state but still has no full‑service hospital of its own.
Most residents rely on Novant’s Wilmington campus, requiring travel across the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge or Isabel Holmes Bridge, both of which are prone to congestion and closures. A second hospital in Wilmington would give northern Brunswick families an alternative destination for emergency care and specialty services, reducing dependence on a single route into the city.
UNC Health proposal is designed to address not only bed shortages but also long‑standing gaps in specialty care. Many North Carolina residents still travel to Chapel Hill, Durham, Raleigh, or Charlotte for advanced neurosurgery, high‑risk obstetrics, complex oncology, pediatric subspecialists, and certain cardiac procedures. As an academic medical system, UNC Health can bring research‑driven treatments, clinical trials, and rotating subspecialists to Wilmington, services not currently available at the same scale in the region.
Local provider choice is another major factor. For decades, New Hanover County has effectively been a one‑system region. UNC Health argues that adding a second system would increase patient options, improve access, and introduce competition that could benefit affordability and service availability. Wilmington Health, the region’s largest independent physician‑owned practice, has endorsed UNC’s proposal and expects its providers to join the new hospital’s medical staff.
Leadership ties are also shaping the project. UNC Health CEO Dr. Cristy Page is a Wilmington native, and Ernie Bovio, formerly a regional president with Novant, now oversees UNC Health’s Southeast Coastal market. Both have emphasized the need for expanded capacity and more local specialty care as the region’s population continues to surge.
If approved, the hospital is projected to open in 2030. A public hearing on the proposal is expected in August, with a state decision anticipated by the end of 2026.
Supporters say the project would bring long‑needed competition and expanded services to a fast‑growing region that has relied on a single hospital system for generations. For many families in both New Hanover and northern Brunswick counties, the biggest change would be better access, shorter drives, and more options for advanced care close to home.
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