UNC opens new surgical hospital, largest expansion in more than 70 years

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (WTVD) -- UNC Health is celebrating its newest addition, a surgical hospital in Chapel Hill.

The first surgeries in the building took place Monday. The first inpatients are scheduled to be received Tuesday.

The seven-story building includes 26 operating rooms, 59 pre- and post-op rooms, 80 private rooms and 15 observation beds.

"The heart of this new facility (is) the teammates who will work here - the nurses, surgeons, anesthesiologists and many others - and the skill and compassion that they bring to each interaction with their patients," said Dr. Wesley Burks, CEO of UNC Health and Dean of the UNC School of Medicine. "I'm excited for our providers to have more space and the modern tools needed to stay at the forefront of care. I'm equally excited for patients to be cared for and recover in a space designed to be as healing as possible."

The hospital is the largest single expansion on the UNC Hospitals' campus in more than 70 years -- since North Carolina Memorial Hospital opened in 1952.

The building encompasses 375,000 square feet and has state-of-the-art tools to help train the next generation of surgeons.

"After more than 5 years of building toward this moment, I continue to be so thankful for our medical staff and teammates," said Janet Hadar, President of UNC Hospitals. "Their dedication to patients and each other has well-positioned us for this exciting moment. What a privilege to extend the expert, Carolina Care we believe every North Carolinian deserves in a facility that supports our care teams, our patients and their loved ones."