CaroMont Health Announces Plans for New Hospital in Cleveland County
CLEVELAND COUNTY, N.C. – CaroMont Health today announced plans to build a new hospital in Cleveland County, North Carolina, pending regulatory approvals. The proposed facility introduces an innovative model of care designed around the care residents need most: emergency services, short-stay inpatient care and select specialty services.
The announcement responds to a documented, state-identified need. The North Carolina State Medical Facilities Plan, prepared by the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Health Service Regulation, and the North Carolina State Health Coordinating Council, has identified the need for 86 additional hospital beds in Cleveland County, citing growing demand and high occupancy at existing area facilities. To move forward, CaroMont Health will file a Certificate of Need (CON) with the State of North Carolina to utilize 18 of those beds for this new facility.
"CaroMont Health has been part of Cleveland County for more than 20 years, caring for families through our primary care practices and a growing range of specialty services, including outpatient psychiatric care, neurology and, most recently, surgery," said Chris Peek, President and Chief Executive Officer at CaroMont Health. "However, for hospital care, many of our patients in Cleveland County are driving to Gastonia and beyond. This project would extend CaroMont Health’s award-winning hospital network into a community where residents need greater access to hospital-based care.”
The neighborhood hospital concept is built around a simple idea: deliver the care patients need most, in the community where they live. Most emergency visits and hospital stays do not require intensive care or highly complex services. The proposed hospital would be designed for that everyday reality, with an emergency department staffed by board-certified emergency physicians, short-stay inpatient and observation care units, surgical and endoscopy services, and full-service imaging and laboratory departments.
"The future of healthcare isn't just bigger buildings. It's smarter ones, built around where patients live and how they use care," said Peek. "We studied the diagnoses and services this community needs most, and we designed a hospital around those answers. The result will be a facility that truly serves this community – built for their needs, shaped by their voices and connected to a network they already trust.”
The proposed site is located between Shelby and Kings Mountain, at the interchange of US 74 and Shelby Road, selected for its accessibility to residents across Cleveland County. The projected opening is 2030, pending CON approval.
"As an independent health system, CaroMont Health is laser focused on the communities we serve, and we want to continue to enhance and expand the services we offer to our patients here," added Peek. "We grow where the need is clear and where we can make a meaningful difference in people's lives. This hospital creates a new front door into a system this community already knows and trusts, and it reflects what drives us every day: delivering exceptional healthcare to our patients."
CaroMont Health is proposing this hospital through North Carolina's Certificate of Need process, which ensures that healthcare investments align with documented community needs. CaroMont Health will continue to engage openly with Cleveland County leaders and residents and will share updates as plans evolve and progress is made toward CON approval.