Cape Fear Valley Medical Center in Fayetteville has enhanced its patient transfer capabilities with the introduction of two new rooftop helipads. According to a press release cited by the Fayetteville Observer, the hospital is now the tallest building in the city, at 161 feet, 3 inches following its $110 million expansion effort.
The addition of the helipads is part of a broader expansion at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center, which began in September 2022 and includes two new floors for patient care. The center’s CEO, Michael Nagowski, suggested that the new facilities will "speed wait times in the emergency department" and bolster the hospital's ability to handle an increasing number of transfers from other hospitals, which one year, totaled nearly 8,000, as reported by CBS 17.
Previously, emergency room patients had to be transported by ambulance from a ground-level helipad to the ER. The new helipads circumvent this process, allowing for direct transport by elevator to critical care departments within the hospital. "It’s going to allow us to continue to accept every growing number of transfers from other hospitals into the health system," Nagowski told CBS 17. The life-saving potential of this logistical update is clear as it streamlines the transition from air evacuation to emergency care—minimizing delay.
Feedback from Cape Fear Valley Health's own medical air transport team underscored the importance of the helipads. Brian McCoy FP-C, of the LifeLINK Air Med team, shared with BizFayetteville that the new helipads could shave off as much as 10 minutes for patients needing immediate care. LifeLINK pilot Jim Habermehl also commented on the improved safety, noting, "what this allows us to do is come in [with] no obstacles, and it's a much safer landing."
An additional 187 full-time equivalent positions are expected to be created. The hospital is set to grow its capacity to 762 licensed beds, which includes a significant increase in Adult Intensive Care and Step Down unit beds. While the external construction has concluded, internal renovations are projected to finish by December of the current year, as Cape Fear Valley Health's Vice President of Operations and Development, Brian Pearce, indicated when talking about transitioning from a community hospital to a tertiary care academic facility. "Now, they never have to leave a clinical area when they bring them in. Or, when we take one out, they never have to go out into a public area," Pearce mentioned in a statement obtained by BizFayetteville.
