Photos: Cannon Memorial Hospital Groundbreaking

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 health care. 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.