North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Approves Additional Hospital Beds At Mission Hospital and Novant Health
Last month, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) sent a letter to Mission Hospital announcing the approval of the proposal for 95 additional acute care beds. Additionally, NCDHHS approved Novant Health’s proposal for an additional 34 acute care beds at its Asheville Medical Center.
Mission Health spokesperson said, “We are pleased that the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Division of Health Service Regulation approved Mission Hospital to add 95 inpatient beds to its Asheville campus, affirming the essential and critical care we continue to provide to western North Carolina. We look forward to alleviating bed capacity constraints so that patients can get the high-quality, advanced care services only Mission can provide.”
North Carolina is a certificate of needs state, which means that healthcare providers need permission from the state before building certain, advanced care facilities, like hospitals. The number of hospital beds are determined by a statewide plan, and 2025 highlighted the need for an additional 129 beds in the Western North Carolina area. The Certificate of Needs decision will likely be appealed and litigation will follow.
The Novant Health project is expected to start on October 6th, 2026, and they plan to open it by 2030. The Novant Health project is expected to cost $322 million to create space for an additional 34 acute care beds. In comparison, the Mission Health proposal is expected to cost $198 million to create 129 acute care beds. The proposal notes that Mission receives transfers from other facilities across Western North Carolina, since the hospital is the only level one trauma center in Western North Carolina.
In response to the decision, Advent Health told the Asheville Citizen Times, “Based on the recent health care access and quality concerns in our region, we do not believe the decision is in the best interest of our community and will have profound impacts. We are currently evaluating appeal options that honor the community's needs and voice. Phase one of AdventHealth Weaverville is currently under construction. Additional phases of inpatient beds are vital to the vision of offering advanced trauma and tertiary care to our community closer to home."
