Greenville, N.C.-based East Carolina University Health has signed a nonbinding proposal with Martin County (N.C.) to develop the state’s first rural emergency hospital, a spokesperson for ECU Health confirmed in a May 15 statement shared with Becker’s.
The proposal comes after the county’s board of commissioners voted in early January to sell or lease Williamston, N.C.-based Martin General Hospital, which closed Aug. 3, 2023, after it filed for bankruptcy.
The county has received interest from “more than a dozen potential partners” regarding the reopening of Martin General Hospital as a REH, according to a March update on its website.
“[The] proposal’s contingencies require significant state investments including support to expand inpatient capacity at Washington, N.C.-based ECU Health Beaufort Hospital, which is critical given the rural emergency hospital cannot have inpatient beds,” the ECU Health statement said.
