Creating a brighter future for North Carolina’s children!
UNC Health and Duke Health are partnering to create and build a world-class children’s health system, starting with the first freestanding children's hospital in the Carolinas!
North Carolina Children’s will be built upon the combined 150 years of expertise, exceptional care, groundbreaking research and teaching excellence provided by both health systems and the Duke and UNC schools of medicine.
Our highest priorities in creating and building NC Children’s together are the clinical and emotional needs of our children. From the moment children and families enter the new campus, they will know that they are in a place built just for them.
And, most importantly, children with the most complex health issues will have access to the most highly specialized pediatric services — right here in North Carolina.
The New NC Children’s
NC Children’s flagship hospital will have approximately 500 acute care beds. The 230-acre campus in Apex will also be home to a comprehensive behavioral health center with dedicated child and adolescent psychiatric beds.
The NC Children’s campus also will include an ambulatory center of excellence, research and teaching facilities and resources for families such as the Ronald McDonald House. Space is also planned for hotels, restaurants and businesses to support children and their families who are traveling for care.
Additionally, NC Children’s will utilize technology to expand access to specialty care services across the state.
When NC Children’s opens in the early 2030s, the pediatric programs from both UNC Children’s and Duke Children’s will move to the new campus. Faculty from the Duke University School of Medicine and UNC School of Medicine will care for the patients at NC Children’s, teach students, residents and fellows to provide expert care to our children, and advance research that will impact kids for generations to come.
Why?
North Carolina lags the national average of almost every health indicator for our children, and pediatric beds and specialty appointments across the state are full or unavailable. There is also a behavioral health crisis among children that threatens the state’s future.
Recognizing both the challenge and solution, in 2023 the State of North Carolina provided $320 million in initial funding to build a freestanding children’s hospital.
What is different about a freestanding children’s hospital?
Freestanding children’s hospitals are different than children’s hospitals located within adult health systems — they are healthcare ecosystems and facilities created just for children, and they don’t share resources with adult programs and hospitals (as all the existing children’s hospitals across North Carolina currently do).
The ecosystem at a freestanding children’s hospital allows for immersive age-appropriate experiences and provides access to highly specialized cross-functional clinical programs. Currently, many children must leave North Carolina to access this type of care.
New highly specialized programs combining the expertise of UNC Health and Duke Health, with the backing of the two schools of medicine, will also further strengthen NC Children’s ability to recruit top physicians, researchers and trainees to focus on addressing children’s health for generations to come.
Tar Heel meets Blue Devil: Greater than the sum of their parts.
UNC Health and Duke Health have long believed that the children of North Carolina need a dedicated freestanding children’s hospital. The two health systems recognize that by partnering to create NC Children’s together, they can have the biggest impact on the health of our children for generations to come.
Good for our kids, good for the economy
An economic impact analysis conducted with the NC Department of Commerce shows that NC Children’s will be among the largest economic development projects in the state’s history, with conservative estimates showing more than 18,000 direct and indirect jobs, nearly $800 million in annual wages, and more than $1 billion in taxes over 20 years.
NC Children’s is also estimated to contribute $26.8 billion to the state GDP over the same 20-year period.
“Children know the difference between an adult hospital and a children's hospital. They can feel it as soon as they walk through the door. The atmosphere is different when everyone is there specifically to provide care for pediatric patients. Now, imagine an entire campus just for children, where they receive world-class care.”
-Dr. Wesley Burks, Chair, NC Children’s Board of Directors
What’s next?
Planning for the NC Children’s campus is underway. Construction is expected to start by 2027 and last approximately 6 to 8 years. It is anticipated that the project will cost $2-3 billion.
For now, nothing changes for our patients, clinicians and teammates across UNC Children’s and Duke Children’s. To learn more about how UNC Health and Duke Health are caring for pediatric patients and families across our state, visit the UNC Health Foundation and Duke Children’s Development websites.
As joint planning with UNC Health and Duke Health ramps up, we will do our best to keep everyone informed.
Please continue to visit ncchildrens.org for the latest. If you have ideas or questions, contact us at info@ncchildrens.org.
Land Announcement
North Carolina Children’s was warmly welcomed to Apex, North Carolina and Wake County by public officials and the community during our land announcement on July 10. Here’s a recap of the event. For complete remarks, watch the full event.
