UNC Health Eyes New Hospital in Asheville Amidst Regional Expansion Competition
In a bid to enhance healthcare access in western North Carolina, UNC Health has proposed constructing a new hospital in Asheville. This initiative is part of a competitive effort to secure state approval for healthcare facility expansions in the region.
The proposed facility, named UNC Health West, is planned to be situated near the Westgate Shopping Center on Patton Avenue. The hospital would feature 92 beds and offer various services, including an emergency department and an intensive care unit.
UNC Health has submitted this proposal under North Carolina’s “Certificate of Need” (CON) process. This process governs the expansion of healthcare facilities in the state, where the Department of Health and Human Services annually assesses the necessity for additional healthcare services across counties. The application window for this round closed on June 15, focusing on up to 92 acute-care beds for Buncombe, Clay, Graham, Madison, and Yancey counties.
“UNC Health has a strong foundation of clinical care and education in Western North Carolina, and we are so grateful for the trust placed in us by patients across the state,” stated UNC Health CEO Cristy Page. “As these communities grow, our goal is to grow along with them to ensure increased access to care, closer to home, from the state’s public, academic health system.”
The realization of this project is contingent upon state approval and faces competition from other healthcare providers. Notably, Novant Health has also filed a proposal aiming to increase capacity by adding 20 beds to its upcoming medical center near Biltmore Park in South Asheville. If approved, the Novant Health Asheville Medical Center would house a total of 54 beds.
“Novant Health is committed to growing alongside the communities we serve to ensure patients have access to high-quality care close to home,” said Novant Health spokesperson Ashton Miller. “If approved, these beds will help us meet the region’s growing healthcare needs and expand access to timely, advanced care for patients across Buncombe County and beyond.”
The competition also involves other regional healthcare providers, including AdventHealth and HCA Healthcare, which owns Mission Hospital in Asheville. However, both have not yet commented on their plans.
In previous developments, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services approved Mission Hospital’s request to add 95 beds to its Asheville facility, the largest in the area, and also sanctioned Novant Health’s 34-bed medical center construction in South Asheville. These decisions have been contested by AdventHealth and UNC Health, with a ruling expected by early 2027.
Alan Wolf, a spokesperson for UNC Health, clarified that the proposed 92-bed hospital near Westgate is separate from another proposed 129-bed facility in South Asheville, named UNC Health West Medical Center. “To be clear: We are pursuing the two hospitals — one via the appeals process and this new one via the CON process — but would build only one, depending on what wins approval,” Wolf explained via email.
