North Carolina
Deadline Arrives for Acute Bed Expansion Plans in North Carolina
Wednesday marks the deadline for health systems to submit proposals for an acute bed expansion in North Carolina.
Four major North Carolina health systems are vying to build or expand hospitals in Buncombe County. AdventHealth, Mission Health, Novant Health and UNC Health have all expressed interest in bids.
Why It Matters
Whichever health system wins the bid will be able to expand its area of care to the region. This area covers 23 counties, including Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson and Jackson. Western North Carolina is a mountain region with a population of about 1.15 million people, accounting for about 11 percent of the state’s total population.
What To Know
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) included a need for 129 acute care beds in Buncombe County in 2025 in its latest State Medical Facilities Plan (SMFP).
UNC Health told Newsweek on Wednesday that it submitted a plan with the state’s Certificate of Need office to develop UNC Health West Medical Center (UNC Health West), a new, 129-bed community hospital in Buncombe County.
The new facility plan includes emergency care, labor and delivery services, inpatient acute care and adult psychiatry services.
“UNC Health West builds on UNC Health Pardee’s record of public service and proven experience and dedication to the western region and UNC Health’s commitment to the health and wellness of our state, resulting in increased access and improved care for the residents of Buncombe and surrounding counties,” UNC Health told Newsweek.
Novant Health announced in September that it submitted its proposal to build a hospital in western North Carolina.
The plan includes acute care beds, an emergency room, imaging and pharmacy services.
“We remain deeply committed to extending high-quality, compassionate care to Western North Carolina,” a Novant Health spokesperson told Newsweek. “Over the past year, we’ve worked closely with the community and local physicians to grow our specialty care network in the region and have applied for a 34-bed hospital in Buncombe County.”
Novant is based in Winston-Salem and has 19 hospitals and hundreds of outpatient locations and physicians’ clinics in North Carolina and South Carolina.
Mission Health, part of HCA Healthcare, expressed its plan to apply for the 129 beds, confirming the plan to the Asheville Watchdog earlier this month.
AdventHealth has also thrown its hat in the ring. The health system said in July that this expansion “reflects the voices of the community and AdventHealth’s commitment to delivering more access, more choice, and more whole-person care to Western North Carolina.”
“This hospital is more than a location—it is a vision,” Brandon Nudd, president and CEO for AdventHealth Hendersonville and AdventHealth Polk, said in a statement. “It is a promise to Western North Carolina that more not-for-profit, whole-person care is not only coming but also evolving. These additional beds will allow us to meet the growing needs of our region and deliver the high-acuity, compassionate care our communities deserve.”
AdventHealth is also building a hospital in Weaverville, North Carolina. This facility was approved by the NCDHHS in 2022 after the North Carolina State Medical Facilities Plan listed a need for 67 acute care beds to serve Buncombe, Graham, Madison and Yancey Counties.
Mission Health/HCA appealed the decision, leading to a legal battle in 2023 that has delayed the process. In November 2024, AdventHealth announced that the state approved an additional 26 beds for the Weaverville location.
What Happens Next
Per North Carolina’s Certificate of Need (CON) program, the major health construction projects require state approval. DHSR has from 90 to 150 days to review a CON application. Each application is reviewed against the review criteria in the CON Law and any applicable rules adopted by DHSR.
The review process will begin in November.
Newsweek reached out to AdventHealth and Mission Health for comment.
Have an announcement or news to share? Contact the Newsweek Health Care team at health.care@newsweek.com.
How to protect yourself against a shark
A safety diver calmly pushes away a shark, explaining how to stay safe if approached. (Credit: @mermaid.kayleigh/@andriana_marine via Storyful)
Claire Hardwick, Storyful
The Atlantic Ocean’s largest tagged great white shark in history recently resurfaced off the coast of North Carolina near the Outer Banks, scientists said.
At nearly 14 feet long, the big fish named “Contender” appears to be heading toward Cape Cod and the eastern coast of Canada, according to a OCEARCH, a global non-profit marine research group tracking shark sightings and migration.
Researchers first tagged the massive great white shark on Jan. 17, 2025 off the Florida-Georgia coast, according to online data from the non-profit.
Most recently Contender breached the surface just before 2 p.m. ET on July 10.
Prior to that, the shark had pinged several times including on April 14 and on April 23.
A ping means the Smart Position and Temperature Transmitting tag attached to the fish’s dorsal fin was spotted above the surface for a brief period as it swam, transmitting a near-live location signal to the OCEARCH shark tracker.
The visit comes at the time of year when great white sharks start migrating north to warmer waters for a larger food supply, as previously reported by USA TODAY.
How much does the largest great white shark tagged weigh?
According to OCEARCH’s shark tracker page, Contender weighs 1,653 pounds.
An adult male, the shark believed to be just over 30 years old.
“Contender’s name is in honor of Contender Boats, a longtime OCEARCH partner, whose industry-leading sport fishing and pleasure boats enable our research missions,” the non-profit wrote on its website.
See live view of tagged sharks that are tracked:
To track Contender and other tagged marine life online, download the OCEARCH Global Shark Tracker App, available on iOS, Android, and on desktop at ocearch.org.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.
BUNCOMBE COUNTY, N.C. (WLOS) — Copper theft is becoming a growing problem across North Carolina, with AT&T officials warning that the crime can leave entire neighborhoods without phone or internet service and, in some cases, disrupt emergency communications.
According to AT&T, the company has recorded 215 copper theft incidents across North Carolina so far this year. Buncombe County alone has seen about 40 incidents over the past two years. Thieves often cut down or dig up communication lines, strip the copper from the wire and sell the metal for scrap.
“It’s problematic, largely from a public safety standpoint,” said Trey Rabon, president of AT&T North Carolina. “If folks need to call emergency services, need to call 911, they’re not able to access the infrastructure necessary to complete that call.”
“Sometimes we see instances where emergency communications are disrupted, communications between public safety agencies are disrupted,” Rabon added. “It has become an acute challenge, particularly in western North Carolina.”
5 CHARGED AFTER AT&T WIRE THEFTS CAUSED WIDESPREAD OUTAGES IN BUNCOMBE COUNTY
Rabon said thieves frequently target both residential and commercial communication lines, taking advantage of remote mountain locations where utility poles are often out of sight from nearby homes.
“In the mountains, oftentimes personal property is not in line of sight for other neighbors,” Rabon said. “Would-be thieves have the ability to climb a pole, disconnect a line, drive to the next pole and disconnect that line.”
In May, five people were charged in connection with multiple copper thefts across Buncombe County that investigators said caused widespread outages. Law enforcement also discovered several wire-stripping sites in Swannanoa and Leicester.
The thefts have also impacted local businesses.
SWANNANOA PIZZA SHOP SAYS INTERNET WIRES WERE STOLEN, FORCING A DAY CLOSURE
In early June, thieves cut and stole internet lines serving Good Pizza Company. Owner George Peyton said the outage forced the restaurant to close because employees could not access essential business systems.
“Nobody could clock in, couldn’t print tickets, couldn’t take phone orders, and that’s about 80 to 85% of the business,” Peyton said.
AT&T officials say one of the most effective ways to prevent copper theft is for communities to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.
“They don’t like to operate in the light of day, and they certainly don’t want to operate with a hyper-aware and vigilant community,” Rabon said.
Anyone who suspects someone is stealing communication wire is encouraged to contact local law enforcement.
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — The Myrtle Beach Police Department announced Monday the arrest of a man wanted in North Carolina.
Officers arrested Leko Jones, 46, who was wanted by authorities in Burlington, North Carolina, according to the Myrtle Beach Police Department.
Jones is charged with attempted first-degree murder and assault by strangulation.
The arrest resulted from a coordinated effort between the Myrtle Beach Police Department’s Patrol Division and Investigations Division, working alongside the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
Investigators said they safely located Jones and took him into custody.
-
Los Angeles, Ca36 minutes agoRemains of murder victim identified as missing Southern California millionaire
-
Detroit, MI1 hour ago4Warn Weather Alert: Wildfire smoke leading to ‘unhealthy’ air quality in Metro Detroit
-
San Francisco, CA1 hour agoSan Francisco fishermen recount harrowing rescue after boat capsizes near Alcatraz
-
Dallas, TX1 hour agoTimothée Chalamet ‘Starstruck’ by Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
-
Miami, FL1 hour agoWives of detained men allege inhumane conditions at federal detention center in Miami
-
Boston, MA2 hours agoDriver charged in Norwood pedestrian crash that left man seriously injured
-
Denver, CO2 hours agoBoys, 12 and 14, arrested in deadly shooting in Denver’s Sunnyside neighborhood
-
Seattle, WA2 hours agoOutreach groups respond to the reported relocation cycle of Ballard’s homeless population
