Winston-Salam’s Novant Health announced Tuesday that it will apply to build a new 26-bed cancer-focused hospital in Buncombe County.
The proposed hospital, Novant Health Asheville Medical Center, will be built on a 24-acre site located at 455 Long Shoals Road.
Novant Health opened Novant Health Surgical Partners – Biltmore in November 2023, providing access in western North Carolina to specialty surgical services, including surgical oncology.
In addition to the proposed hospital, Novant Health said Tuesday it is committing $20 million over the next five years to further develop rural primary care and has acquired space at 1815 Hendersonville Road in Asheville to open a medical office building.
“We are excited about this new opportunity to bring much-needed compassionate care and lifesaving innovation to the region,” said Novant Health CEO Carl Armato in a statement. “We’ve already taken steps to preserve cancer care access in partnership with respected local surgeons, and we look forward to building on that momentum with this proposed hospital.”
It’s the company’s second attempt to expand in the region. In November 2022, the Department of Health and Human Services denied its application for a $328 million, 67-acute care hospital in Asheville and instead allowed AdventHealth to build a hospital in the region.
Construction of AdventHealth’s hospital has been held up since HCA, which operates a hospital in Asheville, has challenged the ruling.