CHARLOTTE — Atrium Health is committing $340 million over five years to expand behavioral health services across the Charlotte region. The health care system’s investment includes opening a new behavioral health hospital location, expanding inpatient and outpatient capacity and enhancing emergency and urgent care services.
“So today, I could not be more excited to announce that we are making a $340 million investment, one of the largest in this community’s history, to keep that promise,” said Eugene Woods, CEO of Advocate Health, which is Atrium’s parent company.
Bed shortage
The investment comes as North Carolina faces a statewide shortage of roughly 1,500 behavioral health beds. Rapid growth in the Charlotte area has heightened demand for medical care, with an average of more than 150 people moving to the region each day.
New hospital
The centerpiece of the plan is a new behavioral health hospital location that will feature 168 inpatient beds for children and adults.
“A place with advanced treatment, therapeutic outdoor spaces, a program that supports healing through art music connection and hope,” Woods said.
In addition to inpatient care, the facility will offer day hospital programs providing intensive daytime treatment, creating capacity equivalent to about 40 additional beds. Atrium Health representatives stated that the organization will renovate an existing structure to expedite the opening timeline.
“Atrium Health plans to renovate an existing building, allowing it to bring critical services online in 2028, 12 to 18 months sooner than otherwise possible,” Atrium Health officials said in a statement.
‘Critical services’
The broader initiative encompasses workforce development programs, expanded community-based services and enhanced emergency and urgent care capabilities. Atrium Health has served as the primary mental health safety net provider in Mecklenburg County for more than four decades.
“For more than 40 years, Atrium Health has served as a behavioral health safety net provider for Mecklenburg County, caring for some of our community’s most vulnerable patients and maintaining critical services because our community depends on them,” Atrium Health said.
Addressing a need
The expansion seeks to alleviate rising demand in local emergency departments, where behavioral health visits have increased 13% over the past six years. Adolescents accounted for 17% of those emergency department visits during that timeframe, while pediatric patients made up 26% of behavioral health emergency visits last year. Outlining the goals of the expansion, Atrium Health said.
“Right now, too many families in our city are struggling to find behavioral healthcare, whether it’s a lack of available beds, long waits for appointments, or not knowing where to turn,” said Charlotte Mayor Rob Harrington.
The state’s secretary for Health and Human Services said more than 1.5 million North Carolinians struggle with mental health conditions.
“We have 11 million people in the state, so you can do the math to realize how important this really is,” said Dr. Dev San Gyai, secretary of NCDHHS.
Renovations on the selected building are planned to allow Atrium Health to bring the new behavioral health hospital services online in 2028.
“No person is defined by the hardest chapter of their life,” Woods said. “Hope can come from the most unexpected of places,” Woods said.
Existing facilities in Davidson and Charlotte will continue operating as access points for outpatient and crisis care.
Health care expansions underway across the Carolinas
There are several other medical and health developments underway in our area.
There’s a proposed hospital for Novant Health at the site of the failed Carolina Panthers practice facility. They’re also planning a hospital in Lincoln County.
CaroMont has projects in Lake Wylie and Cleveland County.
Atrium Health plans to build a hospital in Fort Mill.
South Carolina’s state-run health system is adding a hospital in Indian Land.
Out of network
Atrium’s expansion comes as the group goes through a significant change.
The healthcare system is being taken out of network for the North Carolina State Health Plan.
North Carolina Treasurer Bradford Briner says the change will allow state employees to keep their coverage at the same cost and save the state millions of dollars.
State employees who use Atrium services will need to switch to the new program Atrium is running in-house during open enrollment.
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