Duke University Health System is moving forward with its plans to build a medical campus in Mebane, as part of a broader partnership with Novant Health to expand healthcare access, based on an application for a Certificate of Need that has been filed with the state Department of Health and Human Services.
The application to build a 46-bed acute care hospital – Duke Novant Mebane Hospital – in Mebane represents a potential investment of $225 million, according to a copy of the CON application that the state Department of Health and Human Services furnished this week in response to a public records request by The Alamance News.
State law currently requires healthcare providers to obtain prior authorization from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) in order to expand or build new facilities in North Carolina.
BUT SHOULD STATE CONTROL WHO GETS APPROVAL? State senate has passed a budget bill that eliminates the pre-clearance procedures now required for new hospital approval and construction: https://alamancenews.com/alamance-news-exclusive-senate-budget-proposal-and-two-standalone-bills-aim-to-repeal-certificate-of-need-law/
If approved by state regulators, the new Duke Novant Mebane Hospital is targeted to open by July 1, 2029, according to the CON application that was filed last week for the project.
The application lists the potential location for the hospital at an unaddressed location along Gregory Poole Lane in Mebane. Duke University paid more than $3.1 million between July 2021 and October 2022 to purchase 22.44 acres along both sides of Gregory Poole Lane, between an existing Bojangles restaurant and a Gregory Poole Equipment store, based on documents filed with Alamance County’s Register of Deeds.
Located off the Trollingwood Hawfields Road exit from I-85/40, on the north side of the interstate, the site for the proposed Duke Novant Mebane Hospital is adjacent to the 83 acres where the Koury Corporation is building a future shopping center, to be called Third & Wood. Grading work had started on the proposed medical campus in early 2023 but had stalled as of late last summer.
The proposed hospital would operate a 24-hour emergency department and offer inpatient medical services to surgical and non-surgical patients, as required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to its application.
The Duke Novant Mebane Hospital would have: 12 exam rooms in the ER; eight observation rooms; four ICU beds; four obstetric beds and a nursery with capacity for six newborns; and 38 general inpatient beds, as well as other rooms for X-rays, CT scans, ultrasounds, and other medical imaging services, according to the CON application.
The hospital would provide respiratory, speech, occupational, and physical therapy services to hospital patients, as well as laboratory and pharmacy services.
“The applicants are developing the Duke Health Mebane campus to improve access to care in Alamance County,” the CON application states. “Developing hospital services in Mebane will enhance the continuum of care available and increase patient access to essential acute care services.
“The proposed hospital site offers convenient access via major highways and arterial roadways, ensuring accessibility for residents throughout the service area,” the application for Duke Novant Mebane Hospital states. “Currently, Alamance County is served by a single acute care hospital, Alamance Regional Medical Center (ARMC). As it stands, residents seeking DUHS acute care services must travel to facilities in Durham or Wake counties. The establishment of Duke Novant Mebane Hospital will expand access to DUHS services within Alamance County, reducing travel times for existing DUHS patients and providing a closer point of care.”
The applicants believe that enhanced competition from a new acute healthcare provider in Alamance County will drive future improvements in medical care and ultimately lower costs for patients.
A map of the service area included with the CON application indicates that the majority of residents in Alamance County, as well as those on the Orange County side of Mebane, could reach the proposed hospital within 10 to 30 minutes.
“The Mebane area currently lacks a hospital, and the map clearly shows that the existing acute care hospital (ARMC) is positioned at the edge of the drive-time zones for the zip codes surrounding the proposed hospital location,” the application for Duke Novant Mebane Hospital states. “Placing a hospital in Mebane fills a critical gap in access between the existing hospital and the central and eastern areas of Alamance County especially for emergency services where time is of the essence.”
Alamance County’s population is projected to increase by 4.4 percent (8,109 residents) between 2025, when the county’s population is estimated to total 185,255 and the target date for opening in July 2029, when the county’s population is projected to reach 193,364, according to figures from the N.C. Office of State Budget and Management cited in the CON application.
The newest application notes that DUHS also had recently filed a separate CON application, seeking state approval to purchase a fixed MRI scanner that would be located at the same site as the proposed hospital and would serve Duke Novant Mebane Hospital patients, if the application for the hospital is approved.
In the event that the application for the 46-bed acute hospital is denied, “DUHS may pursue the development of fixed MRI services at a later date following project completion,” the CON application states. “Notably, effective November 21, 2026, fixed MRI scanners will no longer be subject to CON review in counties with populations exceeding 125,000, which would allow for the provision of MRI services in Mebane without prior regulatory approval.”
Duke University Health System (DUHS) and Novant Health would be equal members of a new healthcare entity, Alamance Health Company, LLC, which was created in March 2025 and based at 2085 Frontis Plaza Boulevard in Winston-Salem, according to the CON application, as well as articles of organization filed with the Secretary of State’s office.
The proposed Duke Novant Mebane Hospital is predicated on the 2025 proposed State Medical Facilities Plan developed by DHHS, which shows that, based on population growth and other demographic data, Alamance County would have a deficit of 46 hospital beds by 2027.
DUHS owns and operates Duke Raleigh Hospital, Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, Duke Health Lake Norman Hospital, and Duke Cary Hospital (approved and under development). DUHS is also a minority member in Duke Life Point, the CON application states. Novant Health operates and manages 17 hospital facilities in North Carolina, as well as two facilities for which CON applications have been approved but have not yet opened.
The CON application has been submitted for the May 1, 2025 review period.