Dosher against two proposed ORs in Leland as county grows

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — There is some controversy in Brunswick County over the need for a new operating room.

The state says Brunswick County is growing so fast, it will soon need another operating room.

“Brunswick County is expected to grow about 11.03 percent in the next four years,” President of Dosher Memorial Hospital Tom Siemers said.

President of Dosher Memorial Hospital Tom Siemers said they have the space.

“We have excess capacity right now,” Siemers said. “We can meet that need.”

Siemers said two other organizations, Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center and EmergeOrtho, are each proposing to build free standing operating rooms in Leland.

“Leland is the fastest growing part of Brunswick County with a significant part of the population,” President of Novant Shelbourn Stevens said.

Siemers said that is a threat to them, because he said they are duplicating unnecessary resources.

“The surgeon in particular is saying they are going to move their outpatient business being done currently at the two Brunswick community hospitals to the new location,” Siemers said.

Novant President Shelbourn Stevens said their proposal would actually help, because many people are leaving the county right now to get health care.

“Health insurance companies are sort of pushing patients toward ambulatory surgery centers, because the cost is lower, so if we don’t bring the access here to Brunswick County, people are going to continue to keep going out of the community,” Stevens said.

Siemers said that could hurt them.

“The state medical facility plan specifically talks about rural community hospitals, moving profitable services out of their undermines rural community hospitals,” Siemers said.

For now, the state has to decide by late April who will take on the responsibility of filling the need.

Siemers said they have gotten more than 800 signatures in opposition to the two proposals. WWAY also reached out to EmergeOrtho. We are still waiting for a response.