The renovations at Charles A. Cannon Jr. Memorial Hospital (Cannon Memorial Hospital) in Avery County, North Carolina have begun. Thank you to everyone who attended Appalachian Regional Healthcare System’s (ARHS) groundbreaking ceremony on June 4, 2019.
The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Substance Abuse Services (NCDHHS) has selected Cannon Memorial Hospital to receive a $6.5 million grant award to expand the availability of behavioral health beds in the western region of North Carolina.
On June 4, 2019, ARHS-funded renovations began to create a new 8-bed acute care unit, followed by grant-funded renovations to add an additional 27 behavioral health inpatient beds.
The funding for this grant originated from the Dorothea Dix Hospital Property Fund, which was created by the North Carolina General Assembly from the sale of Dorothea Dix Hospital in 2015. The Dorothea Dix Hospital Property Fund was established as part of NCDHHS’s plan to expand the number of beds that provide crisis stabilization and inpatient behavioral healthcare. The plan calls for 150 new behavioral health inpatient beds across the state.
With the recent increase in the demand for behavioral health inpatient beds across the region, ARHS is proud to be given the opportunity to expand and continue meeting the needs of the community on a larger scale. Although the expansion is focused on behavioral health, Cannon Memorial Hospital will continue to meet the medical needs of the community by operating as a Critical Access Hospital.
Latest Progress and News
Cannon Memorial Hospital Renovation and Expansion
Carmen Lacey, President of Cannon Memorial Hospital, dug the first bit of dirt for the groundbreaking.
Carmen Lacey addresses the crowd at the groundbreaking ceremony.
The shovel from the original 1998 groundbreaking for Avery Healthcare System was used to celebrate the start of this new project.
Director of Behavioral Health Services Stephanie Greer, Cannon Memorial Hospital President Carmen Lacey, and ARHS President and CEO Chuck Mantooth.
Ashley Campbell (left), was present at the first groundbreaking for Avery Healthcare System in 1998. She is now a nurse at Cannon Memorial Hospital. Pictured with Stephanie Greer, Carmen Lacey and Joyce Lowder.
Avery Health System Groundbreaking, 1998. A young Ashley Bare (Campbell) is second from the left.