By HFT Staff

UNC Health and Duke Health are uniting to create a new children’s health system in North Carolina, featuring the state’s first freestanding hospital dedicated to caring for kids. 

The two institutions filed articles of incorporation with the State of North Carolina to establish NC Children’s, a private, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. Plans for NC Children’s feature a 500-bed children’s hospital, a children’s outpatient care center and a children’s behavioral health center.  

A freestanding children’s hospital in North Carolina has been a decade-long goal for both institutions. An initial $320 million investment into N.C. Children’s made by the state of North Carolina in early 2024 advanced discussions for a collaboration between both entities. 

The comprehensive children’s health campus will be located at a yet-to-be identified site in the Triangle and will include a robust research and education enterprise backed by the medical schools of both universities. 

The partnership aims to provide a higher volume of highly specialized pediatric care, enabling families from across the state to remain in North Carolina when seeking complex care. 

The partners plan to break ground together on the new NC Children’s campus by 2027, with construction of the campus expected to take approximately six years.