New Hanover Regional Medical Center on Monday started caring for patients at the hospital’s new medical tower, officials said.
 
The $87 million, 108-bed tower is at NHRMC’s main campus on 17th Street. Originally started in 2017, it was initially envisioned to serve orthopedic patients. But in the fall, NHRMC officials shifted plans to make it a heart and vascular center, citing trends away from inpatient orthopedic surgeries.
 
“To best serve our community in today’s environment, NHRMC leadership changed the plans to a general medical floor,” according to a news release about the opening. “This switch allows flexibility in patient care operations as a more definitive direction is determined for long-term use.”
 
Thirty-six beds in the tower’s fifth floor are the first to open, according to a news release, with additional floors and patient beds opening “on a phased approach based on care needs.”
 
“This is an exciting and proud time for our organization to be able to make this space available for our patients and community,” Andre Boyd, NHRMC’s chief operating officer, said in the release. “Having the new tower open allows us to reposition our current care spaces throughout our campus to better accommodate patient needs.”