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WILLIAMSTON, N.C. (WITN) – ECU Health says it now has all the funding needed to reopen Martin General Hospital as a rural emergency hospital, following a $25 million allocation in the state budget
ECU Health CEO Dr. Michael Waldrum and Martin County Manager Drew Batts met Wednesday to discuss next steps for the project. Waldrum said securing the $25 million was the turning point that allowed the health system to move forward with planning
“We have to have the right legal documents and plans, and we have to build all that,” Waldrum said. “We weren’t going to put that work in until we knew we were actually going to make the project happen, and so here we are.”
Bear Grass resident Flodie Alston, 90, said she currently travels to Greenville for medical care. She said the news is significant for people in the area
“I’m 90 years old, and I’ve had five heart attacks. I’ve had a stroke. I’ve had to relearn how to walk, so we really need a hospital here,” Alston said
Batts said the announcement is a positive development for the community and called on residents to support the effort
“I think our citizens should see this as a great step forward in this process,” Batts said. “Everybody needs to be positive and line up behind ECU Health.”
The reopened facility would function as a standalone emergency department. Patients who require inpatient care after visiting the new Martin General would be admitted to ECU Health Beaufort
While Martin General’s funding is secured, ECU Health says it still needs additional money for ECU Health Beaufort. The health system received $15 million from the state budget to expand bed capacity there, but says that amount is not enough to meet the overall plan to expand healthcare capacity for the region
ECU Health says additional funding for Beaufort is important to the long-term sustainability of the new Martin General, given the two facilities’ connected roles in patient care
Neither ECU Health nor Martin County officials have determined whether the original Martin General building will be renovated or whether a new facility will be built from the ground up
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