EmergeOrtho will open a new orthopedic urgent care and physical therapy location in Carolina Beach this spring.

The new location at 1000 N. Lake Park Blvd. in Carolina Beach is set to open March 2. The physician-owned practice also plans to open another new location in Leland at the end of 2026 and expand into South Carolina this year, EmergeOrtho’s first expansion across state lines.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to meet patients where they are and (to bring) high‑quality, low‑cost orthopedic care to the markets across the North Carolina coast,” said Zachary Welch, executive director of EmergeOrtho's Coastal Region. “We know access is key for our patients… the closer we can be to the various neighborhoods and markets, the easier that access for care is.”

The 5,500-square-foot practice is located in the mixed-use development Proximity Carolina Beach, which houses 250 residential units and 35,000 square feet of commercial space. The new orthopedic clinic will include clinical exam rooms, state-of-the-art digital X-rays and a physical therapy gym. The clinic will be EmergeOrtho’s fourth urgent care in New Hanover County. 

“We’ll be offering orthopedic subspecialty care at that location, as well as an orthopedic urgent care, which will provide walk-in availability for patients,” said Welch. “(They) can just walk in and see an orthopedic specialist.”

EmergeOrtho has seven locations in New Hanover County and 14 full-service orthopedic medical offices in the coastal region, and it offers surgery in ambulatory center spaces at Wilmington Surgcare and Brunswick Surgery Center, which Welch calls “excellent, low-cost options for same-day surgery for patients.” 

Welch anticipates the new orthopedic clinic in Leland will open at the end of 2026 in the Leland Village shopping center, which will be anchored by Publix near the Brunswick Forest community. According to Welch, EmergeOrtho also expects to expand in Carteret, Onslow and Craven counties.

EmergeOrtho is the largest physician-owned orthopedic group in North Carolina and the second largest in the country, according to Welch. The group was founded in 2016 after several private orthopedic groups across the state joined together to form EmergeOrtho. Welch says physician leadership is an important factor in EmergeOrtho’s ability to provide high-quality access to care.

“We feel strongly (about) maintaining physician autonomy and allowing those that are delivering the care to patients to make the decisions on what’s best for their patients,” said Welch. “We feel it also allows for us to continue driving high‑quality and low‑cost orthopedic care to our patients.”