UNC Health Announces Plans for New Community Hospital

UNC Health recently announced plans to build a new community hospital on a 62-acre proposed site in New Hanover County, pending regulatory approvals. This proposed hospital will strengthen UNC Health’s statewide reach – connecting North Carolina communities from the mountains to the coast.
Planned for the southeast corner of South 17th Street and Shipyard Boulevard, the site was selected for its accessibility and its geographic infill capacity in serving a rapidly growing region. This project marks a significant step forward in UNC Health’s commitment to improving access to primary care and specialty care closer to home.
“As a Wilmington native, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges families face when specialty care isn’t available in their own community,” said Dr. Cristy Page, CEO of UNC Health. “This is what ‘care closer to home’ looks like: a community hospital, backed by a statewide, state-owned academic health system, designed to bring the additional services this growing community has asked for.”
The proposed new hospital will offer a comprehensive range of specialties, including emergency care, cardiology, oncology, OBGYN and more.
“This is an important first step in our commitment to ensuring that families in Wilmington and the surrounding areas have access to the high-quality, compassionate care they deserve – right here at home,” said Ernie Bovio, UNC Health’s Regional President, Southeast Coastal market. “As I’ve listened to my own neighbors and community members across the region, I’ve heard a clear message: Wilmington is ready for more choice in healthcare – and UNC Health is ready to deliver it.”
The announcement follows the recent addition of Bovio to UNC Health’s leadership team. Bovio, who joined UNC Health as Regional President for the Southeast Coastal market in April 2026, brings deep local knowledge and extensive healthcare leadership experience to the region. His role includes overseeing UNC Health operations in the area, including Onslow Memorial Hospital in Jacksonville, and guiding long-term strategic planning to address community health challenges.
As North Carolina’s state-owned health system serving patients from all 100 counties, UNC Health’s approach in Wilmington reflects its broader mission to improve the health and well-being of all North Carolinians. The health system’s not-for-profit model focuses on expanding access to care, investing in the healthcare workforce, and advancing research that directly benefits the communities it serves. UNC Health has long served the area through the UNC School of Medicine Wilmington campus, which trains doctors in the region. We expect to nurture and build on those existing partnerships.
Wilmington Health – the largest independent, physician-owned practice in Southeastern North Carolina – also supports the project, and its providers are expected to participate on the medical staff of the new facility.
“Wilmington Health has served this community for more than 50 years, and we know firsthand that our patients are interested in choice,” said Jeff James, CEO of Wilmington Health. “We strongly support UNC Health’s plan to bring a new community hospital to our region– closing critical gaps in specialty care and ensuring families across our region have options to access the services they need, right here at home.”
UNC Health is proposing this hospital through North Carolina’s Certificate of Need (CON) process, which ensures healthcare investments are aligned with community needs. UNC Health is targeting an opening date of 2030. UNC Health will continue to engage openly with local community leaders and residents and share updates as plans evolve and progress is made towards achieving CON approval.