Med school dean to present hospital plan tonight

Dr. William Roper, dean of the UNC School of Medicine, will present a plan tonight to build a new 68-bed hospital between Interstates 40 and 85 in Hillsborough. UNC Hospitals have signed a letter of intent to purchase 83 acres for $17 million near the Orange County campus of Durham Technical College in the planned Waterstone development.

In April, UNC Hospitals applied for a certificate of need from the state Division of Health Service Regulation. The new hospital would relieve overcrowding at the main hospital in Chapel Hill and provide room for expansion and replacement of outdated facilities. It would also provide easier access for many patients, according to materials submitted to the Orange County Board of Commissioners. 

Roper's presentation tonight is purely informational. The certificate of need is not scheduled for decision until October.

The site lies within one of Hillsborough's economic development zones. An economic impact study by the consultants at the Tripp Umbach firm said the hospital would create 1,893 permanent jobs, including 266 new jobs at the hospital itself, and 2,537 temporary construction jobs. It would also generate $33.6 million in construction-related spending and $1.1 million a year in tax revenues for local governments.