Project Forward at UNC Health Blue Ridge Nears Completion
Above: see a timelapse of photos from the Medical Office Building of our Patient Tower Construction Area
(early 2023 until June, 2024)
UNC Health Blue Ridge is nearing the finish line for Project Forward: Your Hospital, Your Future, one of the largest expansion projects in its history. In development since 2020, the plan calls for a new Intensive Care Unit and Emergency Department on our Morganton campus, where construction is nearly finished, and a new Cancer Center on our Valdese campus, which is completed.
These projects will continue to move healthcare forward in the communities we serve and further our mission to enhance life by excelling in care. And position us as the western hub of Chapel Hill-based UNC Health.
The $136 million project on the Morganton Campus includes a 220,560-square-foot tower addition, including a new Emergency Department, critical care units, and a rooftop helipad. Three of the floors will be built but remain empty for future expansion. The addition nearly doubles the size of the hospital.
"The current ICU dates back to 1983," said Jon Mercer, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “It is past time for them to be updated, and the new rooms will be nearly double the size of the ones we have now."
The new critical care unit will have 30 rooms in 35,964 square feet of space, a much-needed increase from the current 16 rooms and 7,380 square feet. "The extra square footage will allow ample workspace for our care teams and have space for large, complex lifesaving equipment. Care partners will have comfortable space as well," Mr. Mercer said.
Our existing Emergency Department (ED) has 25 beds in 12,340 square feet. The new department will have its own 39,721 square-foot floor with 29 treatment rooms, including four trauma rooms. The ambulance entrance is at the back of the building.
The new ED will have a dedicated Fast Track area, consult/grief rooms, and a more extensive waiting area. The rooftop helipad is heated and has its own fire suppression system. Currently, patients awaiting transport to or from the facility are taken by ambulance to the landing pad behind the hospital.
The Emergency Department is expected to open late-summer, while the ICU floor will open in late fall.
Below - see an aerial timelapse of construction progress at our Morganton patient tower site (early 2023 to June, 2024)
