UNC Health secures $18M expansion at Holly Springs hospital
UNC Health is approved for a more than $18 million expansion for one of its hospitals located in a fast-growing, aging Wake County town. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services approved the healthcare system’s request to develop 24 patient observation beds on the seventh floor of the Rex Holly Springs Hospital (RHSH),…
UNC Health is approved for a more than $18 million expansion for one of its hospitals located in a fast-growing, aging Wake County town.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services approved the healthcare system’s request to develop 24 patient observation beds on the seventh floor of the Rex Holly Springs Hospital (RHSH), which opened in 2021.
The application states that the request to develop these beds is in response to an increased demand for acute care inpatient observation services.
“The proposed observation beds at RHSH will enable the facility to operate more efficiently, ensure the availability of long-term capacity for growth in inpatient utilization and support the development of additional services at the RHSH campus,” stated UNC Health in the application.
This new project plans to develop the beds on the seventh floor’s 24,736 square feet of unfinished space and is estimated to cost about $18.5 million. The expected opening is set for November 2026.
UNC said the Holly Springs hospital does not have any dedicated patient observation beds.
Instead, the hospital currently has 50 acute care beds, including two Level II neonatal beds. However, of the 48 non-neonatal beds, only 36 are licensed for medical or surgical use, with the remaining 12 licensed and operated as obstetric beds.
UNC stated that a key factor in developing these beds is the growing demand for increased access to acute care services, as North Carolinians are experiencing higher rates of chronic diseases. They also attributed the steadily growing population in Wake County, increased wait times at emergency rooms and a larger older population as factors in this project.
“Southern Wake County is experiencing the fastest growth and highest volume of new development in Wake County,” the application continued.
“Without the proposed project, RHSH will be forced to continue to use licensed acute care beds for observation patients…[which] is unsustainable…and compromises the hospital’s ability to admit higher acuity patients that require inpatient stays.”
Financing for the project is expected to be obtained by September 3.
