Central Carolina Hospital Celebrates $10.6 Million Emergency Department Renovation & Expansion with Groundbreaking Ceremony

Central Carolina Hospital, a Duke LifePoint Hospital, hosted a groundbreaking ceremony today to mark the renovation and expansion of its emergency department in Sanford, NC. A group of leaders from the hospital, Duke Health and Lifepoint Health gathered with community leaders to celebrate and share more specifics about the project, which is made possible by a $10.6 million investment from Duke LifePoint Healthcare.

“I am so pleased to have you all here with us today as we celebrate an important project that has been in the works for many years,” said Chris Fensterle, chief executive officer at CCH. “We expect the need for local emergency care to increase significantly over the next several years. To meet this increased demand for care and as part of our mission of making communities healthier, we are excited to break ground on a true transformation of our emergency department.”

The construction will include an interior multi-phased renovation and expansion of the existing 13,500 square foot emergency department to improve staff and patient flow, expand triage and enhance capacity with additional exam rooms. The project provides multiple technology upgrades, including expanded patient monitoring and nurse call systems to enhance communications and patient safety, as well as security enhancements, and a new patient communications platform.

“This project is just one example of how deeply we care about this community, and how we are always looking for ways to better serve your needs,” said  Jason Zachariah, FACHE, executive vice president of hospital operations and chief operating officer of Lifepoint Health. “We look forward to the exciting days ahead when we can begin construction and update this facility to the modern, state-of-the-art ER that thousands of Central Carolinians will rely upon for life-saving care.”

The renovations, which are slated to begin in the first quarter of 2023, will be completed in phases and will not cause any interruption in emergency care for the community. The architect for the project is Stengel Hill Architecture. The general contractor is Riley Contracting Group.

“As a physician who has practiced at this hospital and within this community for more than twenty years, I am proud to see this important project move forward. It will be transformative for our team, our patients and our community,” said Russell Harrell, MD, who serves as EMS Director for Central Carolina Hospital. “I am grateful for our leadership team at Central Carolina Hospital and Duke LifePoint Healthcare for investing in our region, our hospital and most importantly, our patients.”

Central Carolina Hospital, which is an accredited chest pain center and designated as an advanced primary stroke center, is the sole provider of emergency services in Lee County.  For more information about Central Carolina and its emergency services, please visit CentralCarolinaHospital.com.