Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I'm not sure how far along that project is but they originally intended to be open by the end of this year. You can call the Town of Waxhaw Planning Department at 704-843-2195, opt. 2 and they might have some more up-to-date information on that for you.
I heard they never got state approval to build it, but they built it and now they can't open it pending some appeal to the state to allow them to have it. It was not a hospital, just an ER with offices...a unique concept that is being used in a few other places around the country.
The whole state approval process is convoluted and highly political. You are right that it was never intended to be a hospital but a medical complex primarily. The outpatient Emergency Room is the piece that requires state approval but was not integral to the rest of the project. I'm not sure what the status of that CIN (Certificate of Need) is currently but I had understood that it had been granted at one point and the Presbyterian stepped in to challenge it which is where it might be hung up.
The other possibility is that the issues that CMC is facing with the Monroe facility (CMC-Union) might be causing them some heartburn as well.
The county actually owns the facility and the lease is up for renewal so the county has a couple of options; renew/renegotiate a lease with CMC, open discussions with other providers or considering a sale of the facility.
It is not uncommon for more rural areas to have the county/municipality build and own a hospital facility in order to ensure that the area has adequate healthcare services. However, the majority of healthcare facilities are privately owned because the healtcare companies are, in essence, for-profit companies. In a more populated environment, it is unusual to have a government owned facility that is privately operated. Union County has gone from one scenario to the other literally within the last ten years so the question before the county now is what to do with the facility moving forward while continueing to ensure the provision of healthcare services to the community.
I do not think the lease issue is still on the table. Carolina's Healthcare (CHS) had a lease due to expire in 2020, however they approached the county last year seeking to extend the lease until 2048. Many felt that a 40 year lease would be a bit too long for the county to commit, not to mention the numerous concessions CHS requested which included pretty much eliminating the pesky local trustee board which often threw up red flags when CHS tried to pull one over on the county.
In any case, as I understand it, the county agreed to the extension and CHS will control CMC-Union for the next four decades. As part of the deal, they (CHS)get to name their own board. :-) Nice work if you can get it. The sad part, CHS continues to get hammered in market-share in Union County by Presbyterian which may end up making the Monroe hospital worth far less by 2048 than it is today.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
