Columbus Regional Healthcare System files application for new hospital in Delco
WHITEVILLE, NC (WWAY) — Columbus Regional Healthcare System has filed a Certificate of Need application to build a new hospital campus in eastern Columbus County.
According to a news release, the proposed facility, called Columbus Regional East, would be a 30-bed acute care hospital designed to serve the fast-growing U.S. 74 corridor. The 144,000-square-foot campus would feature an operating room, 24-hour emergency department, advanced imaging services and oncology care, expanding access to healthcare for residents of eastern Columbus and northern Brunswick counties.
The hospital would be located on an 18-acre site at the former Acme-Delco Middle School property near the intersection of U.S. 74 and N.C. 87. Plans call for 11 emergency treatment rooms, medical-surgical beds including intensive care, and diagnostic imaging such as CT, X-ray, ultrasound and infusion services. The new campus would build on CRHS’s existing Donayre Cancer Care Center.
Hospital officials said the project addresses population growth and shifting demographics in the region. As housing prices along the coast have increased, more families and retirees have moved inland along U.S. 74, creating fast-developing communities that currently face long or congested commutes to reach emergency and hospital care.
Columbus Regional Healthcare System has already expanded its footprint in southeastern North Carolina. Since opening four specialty clinics in Leland in 2021, CRHS has provided more than 11,000 outpatient visits annually, showing a growing demand for local services.
“For 90 years, Columbus Regional Healthcare System has served patients and families with a simple mission: to provide high-quality, accessible care when and where our neighbors need it most,” said Jason Beck, president and CEO of CRHS. “The communities between Whiteville and Wilmington are growing rapidly, and their healthcare needs are growing with them. Columbus Regional East will ensure that working families, seniors and everyone in between can access emergency care, surgical services and specialized treatments close to home — without long drives through congested traffic or overcrowded emergency departments.”
The project will require approval from the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services through the state’s Certificate of Need process.
