Cape Fear Valley Medical Center Announces Expansion

Cape Fear Valley Medical Center announces expansion

Cape Fear Valley Health System has announced a $110 million expansion to its flagship hospital, Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, which will add 100 beds to the facility’s capacity. The construction, which is expected to start this fall, will build two new floors on top of the existing Valley Pavilion section of the medical center. CEO Michael Nagowski said this expansion has been an anticipated part of the health system’s long-term planning, and that the health system has been saving funds in preparation of this. He also estimated that the expansion, when completed, will create an additional 187 full-time equivalent positions at the medical center.

“We recognized that we need this expansion to meet the growing needs of our community, and to provide meaningful assistance to reduce delays in our Emergency Department,” he said. “We expect that this will dramatically improve wait times in the ER.”

When considering how to complete this difficult construction project – adding two stories above a structure flanked on one side by a busy ER entrance and on the other side by an equally busy main hospital entrance – the health system looked for design firms and contractors who had successfully completed similar projects. Cape Fear Valley Health settled on Little Diversified Architectural Consulting and Rodgers Builders, Inc., who will be able to complete the project without requiring a closure or shutdown of either entrance.

“It was a major consideration, because we need to be adding onto this facility while it’s occupied,” Nagowski said. “During different phases of construction, there may be some traffic pattern adjustments around our entrances, but they will remain open. We don’t expect the project to affect traffic on Owen Drive or Village Drive at all.”

The expansion is expected to be completed in Fall 2024. About 40 percent of the new beds will be designed as ICU beds, with the remaining beds designated for medical/surgery inpatient and observation. All of the beds will be located in private patient rooms. The additions will raise Valley Pavilion from five to seven stories. Plans also call for the inclusion of two rooftop helipads, which will allow patients to be taken by elevator directly into the hospital emergency department. Currently, the hospital’s helipad is located on the front lawn, and patients must be transported less directly from the helipad into the building.

“Our plan is that one of the helipads will be structured to accept Blackhawk helicopters,” said Nagowski. “We want to make sure we have complete readiness if it was needed, because of our proximity to Fort Bragg.”

This is the first major expansion to the main campus’ central building since 2008, when the five-story Valley Pavilion opened. That expansion added 132 Acute Care beds to the hospital’s capacity, as well as new adult and pediatric Emergency Departments, Heart & Vascular Center, Bariatric Center, Women’s Pavilion, Surgical Pavilion, and Imaging department. Not counting Behavioral Health beds, the medical center currently has 524 Acute Care beds and 78 Rehabilitation beds.