Atrium Health has filed an application to build a new community hospital in New Hanover County.

According to a news release on Monday, Atrium Health has filed a Certificate of Need (CON) application to build a full-service hospital in the Wilmington area. 

The hospital would bring “nationally recognized programs in cancer, cardiovascular and neurosciences,” to the area, according to the release. The full scope of the project, including the cost and proposed size, has not yet been publicly disclosed and is pending CON review. According to the release, the application was endorsed by over 200 local clinicians.

The 2026 State Medical Facilities Plan, which took effect earlier this year, identified a need for 225 inpatient beds in New Hanover County and 18 beds in Brunswick County, with a review date of July 1 and an application deadline of June 15. So far, Novant Health, UNC Health and Atrium have announced competing bids for those 225 beds. 

Novant Health currently owns the only hospitals in the area, including the 823-bed Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center (NHRMC). 

According to a press release, Novant Health submitted an application for its proposed 120-bed heart and vascular tower on Monday. The heart and vascular tower would be located on South 17th Street and is expected to open by 2031. Novant Health announced over $1 billion in new healthcare infrastructure across the region earlier this year as part of its master facility plan. 

In May, UNC Health announced a proposal to build a community hospital on a 62-acre site on the corner of South 17th Street and Shipyard Boulevard, with plans to apply for "a big chunk" of the 225 beds, according to Ernie Bovio, regional president of UNC Health's Southeast Coastal Region.

UNC Health has not disclosed the size and cost of the proposed hospital, though it is targeting an opening date of 2030.

Combined, Atrium's proposed community hospital, Novant Health's 120-bed proposal and UNC Health's proposed community hospital could set up a competitive review process between the three healthcare systems.

According to the release sent by Atrium, "The need is both well documented and urgent; The Wilmington area was named the 7th fastest-growing metro region in the nation from 2024 to 2025, having added more than 75,000 new residents in recent years."

​Atrium is part of the North Carolina and Georgia division of Charlotte-headquartered Advocate Health, one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the United States. 

"Today, this community has only one hospital and not enough doctors, meaning patients often have to wait or travel. We have seen, and then helped solve, similar challenges across North Carolina, and we're ready to do the same in New Hanover County," said Steve Smoot, executive vice president of the North Carolina and Georgia division at Advocate Health, in the release. 

In cases of competitive review, where the approval of one or more applications may result in the denial of another application, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services' (NCDHHS) Division of Health Service Regulation (DHSR) reviews each application independently and conducts a comparative analysis, according to its website. 

DHSR has 90 to 150 days to review the applications and may approve portions of more than one application, given they do not exceed the 225-bed allocation. According to its website, the 225 identified beds are a "determinative limit on the number of beds, services or equipment that the Agency can approve." 

During the first 30 days of the review period, DHSR will accept written comments or letters of support for submitted CONs. Bovio told the Business Journal in May that he anticipates a public hearing in August. 

All written comments and comments made at the public hearing will be taken into consideration.

According to a spokesperson from DHHS, each application will be reviewed for completeness before being posted on the public application log. This log may be updated between June 17 and 22, the spokesperson said.

Within 30 days of a decision, the NCDHHS website states that "any affected person" can file a petition for a contested case hearing to appeal the decision.

Comments on submitted applications can be filed here.