Last year, Novant Health closed the only hospital in Franklin County. This year, the facility might reopen.
Duke LifePoint and WakeMed have both put in bids to open 18 behavioral health beds, an emergency department, and other services at the site with funds set aside in this year’s budget. We say amen; North Carolina’s shortage of rural doctors is getting worse, and rural hospital closures (three of them in the last six years) really aren’t helping.
Last year, Novant Health closed the only hospital in Franklin County. This year, the facility might reopen.
Duke LifePoint and WakeMed have both put in bids to open 18 behavioral health beds, an emergency department, and other services at the site with funds set aside in this year’s budget. We say amen; North Carolina’s shortage of rural doctors is getting worse, and rural hospital closures (three of them in the last six years) really aren’t helping.
The behavioral health beds are particularly critical. The loss of local emergency departments leaves those with acute mental health conditions, who often use emergency rooms to stabilize patients in crisis and to help locate better care, without a safety net. We’ll be eager to see who takes on the project, and we’re glad Franklin County will be getting some much-needed care.
