By the year 2024, New Hanover Regional Hospital expects to see 100,000 patients a year pass through its emergency room doors.

That’s a significant increase over the 87,000 patients seen annually in the emergency department at the 17th Street hospital and the driving force behind the recently announced expansion of the emergency room.

Current plans call for the hospital to add 25 rooms and expand from 21,600 square feet to about 45,000 square feet before the project is complete. 

The last major expansion on the NHRMC main campus was part of a five-year plan that included the patient tower renovation and the construction of the surgical pavilion and womens and childrens hospital.

The expansion of the emergency department “is part of our ongoing strategic plan that identifies areas in need of expansion and/or renovation,” hospital spokeswoman Carolyn Fisher said in an email response to questions.

The expansion will allow the hospital “to meet the increased needs of the people in this region,” Fisher said.

“The goal is to enlarge the 17th Street Emergency Department to accommodate patients through 2024,” she said.

The hospital doesn’t require state approval for the project, and officials hope to start construction on the emergency department expansion this spring, with completion projected in early 2017.
It does need a green light from the City of Wilmington’s Technical Review Committee, which reviews projects for consistency with the city’s ordinances relating to its Land Development Code.

On Jan. 8, the project was presented to the TRC committee, which is made up of staff members from city departments, along with the Cape Fear Public Utility Authority.

The meeting “went well,” Fisher said, final approval is still pending.

“Based on the TRC comments we received, we will be addressing the comments and continuing to revise the plans for resubmittal to TRC. In addition, we will also be submitting to other regulatory agencies for review,” Fisher said.

Meanwhile, work on a stand-alone NHRMC emergency department near Porters Neck is proceeding on schedule.

Officials broke ground in April on the 30,000-square-foot, $15.1 million project. Its location is 151 Scotts Hill Medical Drive, next to NHRMC Atlantic SurgiCenter.

“Our construction of the NHRMC ED North emergency facility is on schedule, and we anticipate that facility to open early summer,” Fisher said.

NHRMC currently offers emergency services at the 17th Street main campus, at the NHRMC Orthopedic Hospital on Wrightsville Avenue and at Pender Memorial Hospital. Urgent Care services are also offered at two other locations.