Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Four hospital groups will make their public pitches next week for a state health department license for 92 hospital beds in Asheville, setting the stage for another potential shake-up in the region's health care market.
Mission Health, Novant Health, UNC Health and AdventHealth have each submitted applications for the beds.
UNC Health is proposing a $747 million hospital on the west bank of the French Broad River, according to its application filed June 15. The proposed site, UNC Health West Medical Center, wants to build on what is the current site of the Westgate Shopping Center.
The application shows the project would amount to a nearly $1 billion investment when additional spending on doctors, nurses, equipment, and other infrastructure is factored in.
The proposed hospital would have an emergency department and a staff of nearly 400. UNC Health hopes to open the facility in about six years if approved for the beds license.
The project would also mark UNC Health's first hospital in Asheville and put the system in direct competition with Mission Health, which is operated by HCA Healthcare.
Dr. Clay Ballentine, a recently retired internist who managed patients at Mission for about 30 years, said UNC Health already has a significant presence in North Carolina.
“UNC has obviously been a major force in health care in the state for a century. They’ve obviously done a great job of ramping up the services down at Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville as things have deteriorated up here at Mission," said Ballentine.
Mission’s spokesperson maintains the hospital provides excellent patient care and outcomes and staffing of nurses meets required patient-to-nurse ratios.
But Ballentine believes state regulators are looking for the community to have more healthcare and hospital options in the Asheville market.
“That’s why I think the beds went to Advent a couple times ago, Novant got some beds this past time, and I think UNC will bring another strong competitor into this market," Ballentine said.
Jakob Emerson, managing editor for Becker's Hospital Review, which covers healthcare and the hospital industry, spoke with News 13. Emerson has deep knowledge of the hospital business. He said UNC's status as a nonprofit academic health system could influence how it reinvests money generated.
“A nonprofit, especially one that’s part of a state-owned academic system like UNC, they’re going to reinvest their margins back into operations," Emerson said.
Emerson said those investments can include research and community programs.
“Medical research, the community itself. A for-profit system has an obligation at the end of the day to return value to shareholders. That does not automatically mean that one is better or worse than delivering care," Emerson said.
He said a new Asheville hospital by UNC Health could also serve as a pipeline for patients who need more complex care elsewhere within UNC's network.
“A new facility in Asheville doesn't necessarily have to be a profit center on its own if it feeds complex cases back to a flagship facility or across a system's wider network, where the margins on those services are much higher. Referral pipelines are a huge asset for an academic health system if they can build it," Emerson said.
UNC Health's application shows HCA, AdventHealth and Novant as the hospital systems currently licensed for acute-care beds in Buncombe County. The four hospital groups will present their proposals to the public and state health department officials on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 10 a.m. at Ferguson Auditorium on the A-B Tech campus.
A decision is expected by Thanksgiving.
#hospital #missionhealth #medical
MORE: wlos.com/news/local/beds-hospital-asheville-unc-novant-mission-advent-hca-medical-westgate-shopping-center-competitors-western-north-carolina-wnc-community
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WLOS ABC 13 News serves the Asheville, NC area and the rest of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We keep our audience informed through local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of community events, sports and entertainment programming since 1954.
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Four hospital groups will make their public pitches next week for a state health department license for 92 hospital beds in Asheville, setting the stage for another potential shake-up in the region's health care market.
Mission Health, Novant Health, UNC Health and AdventHealth have each submitted applications for the beds.
UNC Health is proposing a $747 million hospital on the west bank of the French Broad River, according to its application filed June 15. The proposed site, UNC Health West Medical Center, wants to build on what is the current site of the Westgate Shopping Center.
The application shows the project would amount to a nearly $1 billion investment when additional spending on doctors, nurses, equipment, and other infrastructure is factored in.
The proposed hospital would have an emergency department and a staff of nearly 400. UNC Health hopes to open the facility in about six years if approved for the beds license.
The project would also mark UNC Health's first hospital in Asheville and put the system in direct competition with Mission Health, which is operated by HCA Healthcare.
Dr. Clay Ballentine, a recently retired internist who managed patients at Mission for about 30 years, said UNC Health already has a significant presence in North Carolina.
“UNC has obviously been a major force in health care in the state for a century. They’ve obviously done a great job of ramping up the services down at Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville as things have deteriorated up here at Mission," said Ballentine.
Mission’s spokesperson maintains the hospital provides excellent patient care and outcomes and staffing of nurses meets required patient-to-nurse ratios.
But Ballentine believes state regulators are looking for the community to have more healthcare and hospital options in the Asheville market.
“That’s why I think the beds went to Advent a couple times ago, Novant got some beds this past time, and I think UNC will bring another strong competitor into this market," Ballentine said.
Jakob Emerson, managing editor for Becker's Hospital Review, which covers healthcare and the hospital industry, spoke with News 13. Emerson has deep knowledge of the hospital business. He said UNC's status as a nonprofit academic health system could influence how it reinvests money generated.
“A nonprofit, especially one that’s part of a state-owned academic system like UNC, they’re going to reinvest their margins back into operations," Emerson said.
Emerson said those investments can include research and community programs.
“Medical research, the community itself. A for-profit system has an obligation at the end of the day to return value to shareholders. That does not automatically mean that one is better or worse than delivering care," Emerson said.
He said a new Asheville hospital by UNC Health could also serve as a pipeline for patients who need more complex care elsewhere within UNC's network.
“A new facility in Asheville doesn't necessarily have to be a profit center on its own if it feeds complex cases back to a flagship facility or across a system's wider network, where the margins on those services are much higher. Referral pipelines are a huge asset for an academic health system if they can build it," Emerson said.
UNC Health's application shows HCA, AdventHealth and Novant as the hospital systems currently licensed for acute-care beds in Buncombe County. The four hospital groups will present their proposals to the public and state health department officials on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at 10 a.m. at Ferguson Auditorium on the A-B Tech campus.
A decision is expected by Thanksgiving.
#hospital #missionhealth #medical
MORE: wlos.com/news/local/beds-hospital-asheville-unc-novant-mission-advent-hca-medical-westgate-shopping-center-competitors-western-north-carolina-wnc-community
_______________
Follow WLOS on social media:
WLOS ABC 13 News on Facebook: facebook.com/News13
WLOS ABC 13 News on X: https://x.com/WLOS_13
WLOS ABC 13 News on Instagram: instagram.com/wlos_13
Subscribe to WLOS on YouTube: youtube.com/user/ABC13Channel/?sub_confirmation=1
For all of the day’s top local and national news, visit wlos.com
Stream our newscasts LIVE: wlos.com/watch
Have a news tip? Send it directly to us:
Email us: news@wlos.com
Call the Newsroom: 828.684.1340
--
WLOS ABC 13 News serves the Asheville, NC area and the rest of western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We keep our audience informed through local news, weather forecasts, traffic updates, notices of community events, sports and entertainment programming since 1954.
This video and all Sinclair Broadcast Group content archives of local news and sports coverage are available for your use. For more information contact us at contentsales@sbgtv.com
