HAMPSTEAD — The healthcare network primarily serving the tri-county region has applied for a certificiate of need from the state to bring a standalone emergency department to Pender County.
The goal, according to Novant, is to meet rapid population growth, nearly 10,000 more people have moved to the county since 2020, topping out near 72,000. The state predicts the population will balloon to 75,000 by 2030.
A need to expand hospital and emergency services has also been prompted by planning board members and elected officials. Currently, the county is served by Pender Memorial in Burgaw and Scotts Hill Medical Center at the New Hanover and Pender county lines.
READ MORE: Had it chosen a different provider or owner for its hospital, Pender County would owe Novant $17M
Laurie Whalin, president of the Novant Health Coastal Region, said in a release the addition of an emergency department will be complementary to resources already in place: “We’re excited about these plans that would offer a new access point for emergency care.”
The 24/7 emergency department is being planned at the intersection of U.S. 17 and N.C. 210 in Hampstead, in the eastern portion of the county, roughly 14 miles from Scotts Hill. This area is a major driver of growth, Novant Health Pender Medical Center President Ruth Glaser indicated.
“This will serve as a convenient site for needed care,” she said in the release. “We also continue to grow capabilities at Pender Medical Center in support of our commitment to add services and support rural healthcare.”
Novant Health took over Pender Memorial in 2023 by dedicating $50 million in community investments for healthcare. The healthcare network said in the announcement of the proposed Hampstead emergency department that it has recruited two full-time hospitalists and opened a new infusion center on the campus.
Novant Health has also launched a rural track of its family medicine residency program in partnership with Black River Health Services, welcoming its second class of physicians continuing their training. This is to help alleviate the shortage of primary care physicians by placing medical residents in the heart of rural communities.
The application comes as Novant is also vying for a certificate of need to bring more beds to New Hanover County’s Regional Medical Center. It’s applied to build a new heart and vascular tower with 225 patient beds. It faces competition from UNC-Health and Atrium, both of which applied to bring more hospital beds to the Wilmington region.
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