NC’s Duke Health and CaroMont Health propose expansion into Mecklenburg County

Duke Health and CaroMont Health are planning to work together to open two hospitals in Mecklenburg, health system officials said, adding 200 hospital beds to the state’s second-most populous county. 

The two hospitals would be owned by a new company that the health systems would equally own and operate. The partnership would mean an expansion into Mecklenburg for Duke and CaroMont. 

“This is a true partnership,” Dr. David Zaas, Duke University Health System CEO, told reporters. “This is a 50-50 joint venture with shared governance, shared leadership of two organizations committed to improving the health of the communities we serve

Under the state’s certificate of need law, health systems must ask the state Department of Health and Human Services for permission to build hospitals. The applications will be submitted on Wednesday, the health system leaders said. 

Atrium Health and Novant Health dominate the county’s healthcare market. Those two health systems currently compete for permission to add hospital beds in Mecklenburg.

New NC State Health Plan agreement will avoid big cost hikes for using some Atrium hospitals

The NC State Medical Facilities Plan forecasts the need for hundreds of additional hospital beds in Mecklenburg. 

Duke and CaroMont plan to build the hospitals outside Charlotte city center. One is planned for a district near Charlotte Douglas International Airport, and the other in northeast Charlotte.

The plan is “to really try to get advanced care closer to home,” said Chris Peek, CaroMont president and CEO. Many patients in the area who require advanced care must drive into central Charlotte, he said. 

“These facilities will allow us to provide that same advanced care around the perimeter and closer to where people live,” he said.  

CaroMont Health has two hospitals and a free-standing emergency department in neighboring Gaston County. Duke Health owns Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital in nearby Iredell.

Duke and CaroMont will submit two certificate of need applications seeking approval to build the hospitals. Duke Health and CaroMont Health anticipate decisions on the applications by March 2027. The hospitals could open by the end of 2031.