GARNER – WakeMed has announced another important milestone in its mission towards whole-person health care and its Whole-Person Health Campus in Garner. WakeMed officially received the certificate of need (CON) to build the 45-bed acute care hospital – WakeMed Garner Hospital – that will complement the health system’s Mental Health & Well-Being Hospital on the same 53-acre site in Garner.
While there was no opposition for WakeMed’s Mental Health & Well-Being Hospital construction project during the CON process, the CON for the acute care hospital was appealed by several health care facilities in the area. All appeals have since been resolved, paving the way for WakeMed to continue towards this important component of the Whole-Person Health Campus, enabling WakeMed to address both the medical and mental health needs of our community.
“We are bringing transformative care to our community with this unique campus, and we are so fortunate to now be able to move forward with the design and construction process in unison,” said Donald Gintzig, WakeMed president & CEO. “We have and continue to receive so much heartfelt support from the WakeMed family, the Town of Garner, Wake County and federal government officials, and the entire community for this project.”
WakeMed’s Whole-Person Health Campus will be situated at the intersection of White Oak Road and Timber Drive East in Garner. It will be an integral part of the Town of Garner’s 220-acre mixed-use district focused on innovation and wellness services as well as residences and restaurants for residents and families of Garner – the fastest growing community in our area.
“Garner is an excellent location for this whole-person health campus,” Mayor Ken Marshburn said. “There clearly is a need in Garner and the surrounding area for the acute-care and mental-health services that will be available at this new facility. Garner is well on its way to becoming a health-care hub in the region, and that is great news for our community.”
WakeMed officials hope to open the Whole-Person Health Campus in 2026. “From an operational standpoint, we feel poised for success. The construction of both hospitals on the same site will help us realize substantial cost and operational efficiencies” says Thomas Gough, WakeMed executive vice president and COO. “In addition, our association with Sheppard Pratt – a national leader and our non-profit partner in both mental health facility development and the care for behavioral health patients – will bolster our already outstanding Mental Health & Well-Being clinical team and provide us with important operational and patient care insights as we move forward with our Mental Health & Well-Being Hospital project.”
WakeMed’s Whole-Person Health Campus is slated to break ground in Fall 2024.
(WakeMed News Release)
CON needs to be repealed soup to nuts. No more reforms, full repeal. We don’t need that law at all.