City of Burlington

Economic Development Department

March 24, 2022

Healthcare System Expansion Benefits Economic Vitality

Good news! The Alamance Regional Medical Center is expanding to serve a greater number of patrons across the region. According to Cone Health, “the project will add 14,000 sq. ft. and renovate nearly 49,000 sq. ft. at the medical center. It will move and nearly double the size of the Norville Breast Care Center.” The 34.2-million-dollar project will take about two years to complete, but what does this mean for economic development?

Major additions to the healthcare system have a tremendous impact on establishing regional prominence to attract businesses and investors to Alamance. Increasing access to healthcare helps solidify existing companies' decisions to lay roots in our community and entices new companies as they see regional assets and infrastructure scale to meet their employees’ needs. Furthermore, it expands opportunity for more specialty medicine and innovation needed to meet the demand of this complex pandemic era illnesses.

More expansive healthcare opportunities can lead to greater partnerships to support community work. An example of this in our existing ecosystem can be seen through the work of Impact Alamance, which was formed after the Alamance Regional Medical Center and Cone Health merger in 2013. Impact Alamance focuses on improving health from the lens of strategic impact investing with a focus on education and wellness. Elon University is also an influential partner that provides highly skilled young professionals to add to the innovation and research in the industry.

In addition to enhancing community partnerships and establishing regional prominence, the widening of healthcare options will boost the capacity to service Burlington’s growing population. As the Durham-Raleigh grows rapidly, people will inevitably be looking for a place to live. The expansion of the hospital system will allow for greater accommodation for the community and widen job opportunities and education.

As we see currently, there is a greater demand for nurses and doctors to deliver high quality care and advocate on behalf of patients. The growth of the regional healthcare system will attract a diverse range of healthcare professionals from RNs, CNAs, to specialty doctors. With Elon’s new nursing program and the programs across the region, Alamance Regional will be a prime location for students and graduates to sharpen their knowledge and skills.

Alamance Regional Medical Center President Mark Gordon remarks, “we have long strived to bring the highest-quality health care to Burlington. More options and more advanced care mean fewer people will need to leave the area for the care they require.” Ultimately, this new investment in Alamance’s healthcare system will widen providers’ capacity to work with patients with diverse wellness needs, while allowing people from other communities to utilize its services.