UNC Health looks to expand to Wake Forest, will discuss plans this week

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (WTVD) -- UNC Health is working to expand to Wake Forest.

A public hearing was held Thursday morning to discuss plans to build a new UNC hospital. It happened at the McKimmon Conference & Training Center in Raleigh at 9:30 a.m.

UNC Health Rex recently filed two Certificate of Need applications.

One is to build a 50-bed community hospital in Wake Forest. The other would add 20 acute care beds and two operating rooms at UNC Health Rex's main hospital in Raleigh.

The Wake Forest hospital would be built on approximately 50 acres, now owned by the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. This is at the corner of Capital Boulevard and Stadium Drive, behind a current shopping center anchored by Lowes Foods.

The new hospital would eventually employ more than 500 people.

EDITOR'S NOTE: A previous version of this report stated the public hearing was Friday, Oct. 18. It happened Thursday, Oct. 17