WakeMed, Duke, UNC health systems all to provide more beds Wake County needs

The Triangle's three major health systems all want to provide more hospital beds, helping to fill a need for almost 500 statewide by 2025.

The 2023 North Carolina State Medical Facilities Plan shows a need for 488 acute care beds across the state, 44 of those in Wake County. Hospitals must apply for the right to expand under the state Certificate of Need process, and WakeMed, Duke Health and UNC Health have all done so.

WakeMed is proposing a five-story patient tower on Falls of Neuse Road in Raleigh that would include 35 acute care beds and 15 observation beds at a cost of about $157.8 million. WakeMed also wants to convert nine beds in Cary to medical-surgical beds.

Acute care beds are already approved for WakeMed's expansion to Garner.

Duke Health's plan would add 41 acute care beds in existing space at Duke Raleigh Hospital, an investment of about $14 million.

UNC Health, too, would add beds in existing buildings at UNC Rex in Raleigh at a cost of about $8.7 million.