Location Announced for New AdventHealth Hospital in Buncombe County

AdventHealth is excited to announce the location for its new hospital in Buncombe County. The new community hospital will be located off US 25/70 in Weaverville, just west of I-26.

AdventHealth is ready to bring state-of-the-art medical care to the people of Buncombe and neighboring counties. The multispecialty hospital will feature leading-edge technology, surgery services, a labor and delivery unit and an emergency department.

In 2022, the NC Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) approved AdventHealth’s Certificate of Need (CON) application to build this hospital to meet the growing need for health care in Buncombe, Graham, Madison and Yancey Counties. HCA/Mission appealed the State’s decision leading to a trial that took place in fall 2023.

The announcement of the location for the new hospital comes as AdventHealth waits to learn the outcome of the appeal.

AdventHealth is committed to providing whole-person care to the people who live and work in the state-designated service area for this CON, which includes Buncombe, Graham, Madison and Yancey Counties. The new location is strategically positioned to make it easier for people throughout the service area to get care in a convenient location.

“We are confident in the State’s decision to award AdventHealth Asheville the CON for the new hospital. With the purchase of the property in Weaverville, we are ready to move forward building this hospital,” explained Brandon Nudd, President and Chief Executive Officer for AdventHealth Hendersonville.

AdventHealth is grateful for the collaboration and support of the people, local leaders and elected officials of these communities throughout this process and looks forward to being able to announce even more exciting news about this new hospital in the coming weeks.

How It Started

AdventHealth submitted its application to build a new hospital in Buncombe County on June 15, 2022. Our application outlined the plan for bringing our Whole-Person Care philosophy of treating the body, mind and spirit of everyone who walks through our doors to the people of Buncombe, Graham, Madison and Yancey Counties and surrounding communities. This application was approved by the state in 2022.

AdventHealth is proceeding with the planning of this new community hospital that will include emergency, surgery, labor and delivery, and support services conveniently located off US 25/70 in Weaverville, just west of I-26 in Buncombe County.

Why 67-beds

In January 2022, North Carolina State Medical Facilities Plan (“SMFP”) listed the need for 67 acute care beds in the Buncombe, Graham, Madison and Yancey Counties service area. AdventHealth submitted the Certificate of Need application to meet this specific need.

New Hospital Services

At AdventHealth, it’s our promise to help you feel whole. This commitment is why AdventHealth ranks in the top quartile nationally for outstanding patient care and safety and it will drive all we do to care for people in our new hospital.

The new AdventHealth hospital in Buncombe County will be a community hospital with in-patient, surgical, labor and delivery, and emergency care. The hospital will include access to whole-person care through the following services:

• The Baby Place – Labor and Delivery Unit featuring 13 beds and a dedicated C-section Surgery Suite
• 42 Medical/Surgical Beds
• 12 Intensive Care Beds
• 8 Observation Beds
• A state-of-the-art Surgery Suite for general and specialty procedures with 5 procedure rooms
• Emergency Department with 12 beds
• Imaging Services
• Ancillary Services including Laboratory, Pharmacy and In-patient Therapy

Location

The NC State Medical Facilities Plan outlined the importance of improving access to care for the citizens of the four counties in the designated service area. As we worked to finalize the location, AdventHealth outlined the importance of not duplicating services in an area that already has coverage. More importantly, we wanted to ensure the location would increase access where there currently is no coverage.

AdventHealth has continued its endeavors to give the community a voice throughout the journey to expand options for health care. Members of our Leadership Team personally visited the entire acute care service area as we worked toward submitting the application. Since receiving the State’s approval of our application, we have continued to speak with leaders in Buncombe, Graham, Madison and Yancey Counties to learn more about each community’s unique health care needs. The people have spoken and continue to speak, sharing their desire for additional health care choice and competition in Western North Carolina.

Based on those conversations, population data, hospital usage and land availability, AdventHealth determined Buncombe County to be the most effective geographical location for the multi-county service area.

Community Support

From the moment we announced our intention to apply for the Certificate of Need, we have received incredible community support. AdventHealth is honored to have received multiple letters of support from county commissioners, mayors, health departments, law enforcement, chambers of commerce, educational institutions, safety-net health care providers, and economic development agencies in all four counties of the designated service area. Other members of the communities this hospital will serve shared their support with more than 4,000 online letters of support.

Timeline

Based on CON application projected timelines, AdventHealth anticipated being able to start work on this new hospital in January 2023. However, HCA/Mission appealed the State’s decision to award the CON to AdventHealth. The legal process for the appeal took nearly a year. The trial ended in October 2023. AdventHealth anticipates finding out the judge’s decision in the coming weeks.

“We are confident in the State’s decision to award AdventHealth Asheville the CON for the new hospital. With the purchase of the property in Weaverville, we are ready to move forward building this hospital,” explained Brandon Nudd, President and Chief Executive Officer for AdventHealth Hendersonville.

What Comes Next

AdventHealth is grateful for the collaboration and support of the people, local leaders and elected officials of these communities throughout this process and looks forward to being able to announce even more exciting news about this new hospital in the coming weeks.