Press Release :: CMC-Pineville Expansion, Kannapolis HealthPlex Receive State Approval

Concord, NC, February 28, 2008 — A major expansion of CMC-Pineville and a Kannapolis HealthPlex that features a free-standing emergency department both received approval on Feb. 27 from State of North Carolina regulators.

CMC-Pineville
The CMC-Pineville expansion will be a major factor in the hospital becoming a tertiary care medical center that will include a major heart program and a Level III trauma center. At $174 million, the project is the largest individual construction project ever to be undertaken by CMC.

The project will construct 285,000 new square feet and renovate nearly 50,000 square feet. A number of beds and other assets will be transferred to CMC-Pineville from other CMC facilities. Plans are for the expansion to be completed by 2013.

"We are all well aware of the phenomenal growth of the Pineville area and the southern Mecklenburg region. By 2011, the area is expected to be home to nearly 1 million people… which is why this project is so important," said Michael Tarwater, Chief Executive Officer of Carolinas HealthCare System."It allows us to plan appropriately for the explosive growth in our community."

Kannapolis HealthPlex
The Kannapolis HealthPlex – nearly 24,000 square feet – will include 10 treatment bays, two observation beds, imaging services (CT, ultrasound and x-ray), laboratory facilities and pharmacy operations to support the emergency department. Estimated cost of the project is $17.2 million.

The healthplex will be located at I-85 and Lane Street, providing easy access to residents of Kannapolis and surrounding areas who currently must travel to CMC-NorthEast for emergency care. The facility also will help relieve pressure on CMC-NorthEast's emergency department, which approached 82,000 patient visits in 2007.

Public participation and support were both key to the state approval of the projects. "It is gratifying that the public came out in support of these projects," Tarwater said.