Greenville, N.C.-based ECU Health outlined a $220 million capital proposal during a June 4 public hearing, which includes plans to reopen a shuttered facility as North Carolina’s first rural emergency hospital and expand its Beaufort campus. The health system signed a nonbinding proposal with Martin County (N.C.) in mid-May to convert the former Martin General Hospital in Williamston, N.C., into a rural emergency hospital. The 49-bed hospital closed in August 2023 after it sought Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection.

While the initial reopening would use Martin General’s existing facility, ECU Health said it would seek $70 million in state funding to build a permanent facility with space to add more outpatient services. The nonprofit system is also requesting $150 million to expand inpatient c

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