Novant Health announced plans Monday to expand its footprint in Brunswick County, including a new hospital in Leland.

Novant has submitted a certificate of need application to build a 20-bed hospital in Leland, according to a news release. This would be the first new hospital in Brunswick County since 2011, when the 74-bed Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center opened in Bolivia.

The new hospital, to be called the Novant Health Leland Medical Center, would be located on just over 40 acres near the intersection of Fawnbrook Way and U.S. 74/76 in Leland, according to a certificate of need application Novant submitted to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services last week. 

The land is part of Terrapin, a neighborhood set to hold about 2,800 homes in Leland. Logan Developers Inc. broke ground on the nearly 1,000-acre master-planned community in January.

Development of the two-story, 142,460-square-foot hospital is expected to cost more than $251 million and could accept patients beginning in January 2030, according to the certificate of need application.

The hospital will serve as a new campus of Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center, according to the application. Novant plans to relocate 20 licensed acute care beds from Brunswick Medical Center to the new hospital location. Novant also plans to develop five procedure rooms, four of which will be constructed to operating room standards. Four of the acute care beds will be intensive care unit beds.

Novant’s application highlights Brunswick County’s growing population and states that the new hospital aims to bring health care closer to patients.

“Current patient destination data indicate that a significant proportion of Brunswick County residents travel outside the county – most often to Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NH New Hanover) – for acute care services,” the application states. “This project is designed to redirect care back into the county, bringing services closer to where patients live.”

The site eyed for the hospital is made up of two parcels. Novant could purchase the larger 37-acre parcel for $350,000 per acre, according to the certificate of need application. The purchase price for an adjacent 5-acre parcel is listed as just over $2 million. Novant is under contract to purchase the land needed for the project, according to spokesperson Julian March.

If the certificate of need is approved, the application states that the site would need to be rezoned for a medical center.

Novant has also submitted a certificate of need application to develop a new freestanding emergency department near U.S. 17 in Carolina Shores. The $24.2 million project would operate under the Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center license and is expected to open in September 2028.

Plans for the emergency department aim to “close a critical gap in emergency medical access for the southern portion of Brunswick County.”

“Currently, this North Carolina region relies solely on two existing hospital-based Emergency Departments (EDs) – one in Bolivia and one in Southport – both of which are a significant and challenging distance from the Carolina Shores area,” the application states. “Due to high population growth and seasonal tourist traffic, particularly along the U.S. 17 corridor, patients face unacceptably long transit times, where delays can range from a half-hour to over an hour.”

Novant also plans to invest in Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center, including an expanded MRI space and a new cardiac catheterization lab. The new lab will allow patients to receive interventional cardiology procedures, such as stent placements, without having to travel outside the county, according to the release.

These plans complement ongoing construction for an ambulatory surgery center in the Leland area, which broke ground earlier this year. The center is slated to open in 2026.
 
“Our strategic efforts are designed to expand access to care close to home to meet the current and future care needs of this community,” Ernie Bovio, president of the Novant Health Coastal Region, stated in the release. “Novant Health has proudly served Brunswick County for nearly 20 years, and we’re excited to continue to add facilities and recruit needed physicians to secure healthcare access throughout the county.”

In the release, Laurie Whalin, president, Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center and acute care operations for the Novant Health Coastal Region, stated the plans could expand access throughout the county.

“Our existing inpatient and emergency care is concentrated in the middle of the county, so we’re focused on extending care options to better serve population centers throughout the county,” she wrote. “We’re also continuing to explore other opportunities to grow care in this community and throughout the region.”

D Logan of Logan Developers said he's excited about Novant's plans.

He said, "I think it will add great value to the (Terrapin) community and its residents and to the community overall."