High Point Regional Health is looking to expand its operations into Greensboro with plans to build a new freestanding emergency department that would operate under High Point Medical Center. The proposed facility would be called the High Point Medical Center Church Street Satellite Emergency Department, and it represents a significant new investment in area healthcare.
On Friday, Nov. 7 the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services stated that High Point Regional Health has filed a certificate of need application with the state’s Division of Health Service Regulation to construct the new emergency department.
In North Carolina, major healthcare projects like this one can’t move forward until state officials determine there’s a public need for the new facility. The system is designed to prevent unnecessary duplication of services and to make sure that hospitals expand in ways that match community needs.
The proposed Greensboro site would be part of the High Point Medical Center system but physically separate from its main campus. The project carries an estimated price tag of $28.4 million and, if approved, would be completed by January 2028.
While the exact address hasn’t been disclosed, the name indicates it would be located somewhere along or near Church Street in Greensboro.
If approved, the facility would become Greensboro’s fourth emergency department. It would join Cone Health’s existing ERs at Moses Cone Hospital on North Church Street, Wesley Long Hospital on West Friendly Avenue, and the Cone Health MedCenter at Drawbridge Parkway.
Two additional emergency departments have also been proposed by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, though those plans are still in the early stages.
A public hearing on the High Point proposal will be held Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025, at 11 a.m. at the McGirt-Horton Branch Library at 2501 Phillips Ave. in Greensboro. Residents can attend to comment or simply listen as state regulators consider whether the project meets community needs.
Written comments are also being accepted by the Healthcare Planning and Certificate of Need Section until 5 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 1. Comments can be emailed to DHSR.CON.Comments@dhhs.nc.gov or mailed to 2704 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-2704.
The Rhino Times supports the move since the city is in great need of an additional emergency room. The Emergency Room at Cone Hospital in Greensboro has been the source of news stories for decades about very long wait times endured by patients in need.
The certificate-of-need process dates back decades in North Carolina and has often been the subject of a lot of debate: Supporters say the process helps maintain stability and efficiency in the healthcare system by avoiding wasteful spending on facilities that might not be fully utilized; critics, on the other hand, argue that the requirement can slow innovation and limit competition by making it difficult for new providers to enter the market. Regardless, any major hospital project in the state must go through that process before receiving construction approval.
The push to build new emergency departments comes as Guilford County continues to grow. Population increases, new housing developments and large-scale job creation at places like the Toyota Battery Manufacturing plant near Liberty are expected to bring thousands of new residents to the area over the next several years. So, health systems are positioning themselves now to handle the increased demand for urgent and emergency care that growth will bring.
With Cone Health’s long-established footprint and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist now expanding eastward, Greensboro’s emergency-care landscape is becoming more competitive. The addition of a new stand-alone ER, if approved, would give residents another option for immediate care – and mark the latest sign that Guilford County’s healthcare sector continues to expand along with the population.
A decision from the state on High Point Regional Health’s application is expected sometime in early 2026.
I welcome this. Cone is a hot mess. Everytime we needed emergency services they totally screw up. Their ER Doctors must’ve gotten their license to practice from a Cracker Jack Box. It’s a concerted effort to screw up. Look at Greensboro Imagining who is tied at the hip with them. My last MRI for cancer screening, they put in their report my gall bladder is fine…. no removed 6 years earlier, my female parts fine…I had a partial hysterectomy. Totally missed the nodes on my lungs. When this happened I called Queen Cagle and to date no return call to discuss the disaster. Maybe when Kyser Permanente takes over they can clean up that disaster of a this so called hospital.
Kaiser is a giant California HMO. Kaiser has owned Cone/WesleyLong for quite some time. They are getting control of private practices, and imposing hospital-like fees. An HMO is absolutely the worst choice you could make for health care. Sure, the premiums are lower, everything is swell until you get sick. this is especially catastrophic for Seniors. An HMO tells their network doctors how to practice medicine, and you get reduced or no benefits out of network. Sure, they have to cover what Medicare covers, but; they determine if you need treatment, and if so, they will do it the cheapest way.
I and my wife have a long experience with Medicare. I checked it out before I made a choice. In my opinion, your best choice is original Medicare (A+B+D) with a Supplement and RX policy. This is not the cheapest, but, it is the best.
By the way, it is “open” season on Medicare enrollees. You can switch to any company by 12/7. First, if you like what you have, don’t bother. Second, if you have original Medicare, you can switch to a managed care plan, but you may not be able to get your Supplement back.
Based on my experience, this is my opinion.
One more thing, the Big Cigna has relegated their RX benefit administration to HealthSpring. My 2026 premium is up more than 30%. At the same time, my co-pays have gone up. For example, I have an RX for about $53/mo. My copay was $15. I found a generic that retails for $25, saving the Big Cigna $28/mo. Did I save anything? No. My copay is still $15.
The Health care industry is a RACKET. See all those drug company ads on TV? Those ads cost a lot of money. The Industry has it. These weight-reduction drugs are a racket. People use them to lose weight (and they do), but then, they have to continue taking it for life. Why? When you stop taking the RX, you have to change your eating habits., or gain all your weight back, and then some.
Mary I’m taking a different view. My wife has been to the Cone ER 3 times in the last 5 years ( this past Sunday night was the 3rd time) with a heart condition. We got there at 7 was in a room within 10 minutes absolutely nothing but top notch service. All the staff were very professional and on point. No care could have been better. We have always received the same treatment in every visit. Kudos to Cone ER hospital and staff
You were lucky.
Kaiser is a giant HMO in California. Cone is now run like an HMO. See all their TV ads lately?
why would any hospital need costly advertising ? is there some street you drive down lined with hospitals to choose from for your medical problem ? how much would it cost hospitals for a ‘yellow pages’ ad in the ‘hospitals’ category with the hospitals name, address & phone # ?
Where ever they build it, they should add a few floors of apartments on top of it.
i plan to have an emergency !
Read the fine print here: High Point Regional want to open a stand alone Medicaid & Medicare sponge facility to soak up more of your tax dollars billed at ridiculous rates. These facilities raked in so much money from Fauci’s Fantasy they’ve all been expanding and building new facilities to siphon the coffers from every angle seeing how simple it is if you have the operating capital and can wait on Uncle Sam to pay. John & Jane Q Taxpayer get the privilege of paying high insurance premiums with increasing co-pays so their insurance companies can be billed quadruple the government rate. Physicians have to beg and negotiate their share while also paying ridiculously high malpractice insurance rates. Don’t forget these facilities often charge local physicians for use of the facilities as well.
Keep a fully stocked med kit at home. It may not come with the greatest pain meds, but you won’t be sitting in a room full of germs and addicts or waiting long hours to suture a cut or whatever and then get a bill for a $200 Tylenol that gives you the ’tism. Staple or stitch yourself at home. Just remember to rotate your stock if using cat gut sutures. They tend to dry out over time. If you’re not incapacitated, it’s likely not an emergency. Those rare instances are a different matter altogether. I for one don’t believe our ancestors ran to a doc in a box everytime they needed something cleaned, closed or splinted.
i’m guessing you & i were military ‘medics’ ?
the doctors in my HMO do house calls & arrive with stethoscope, bp cuff, reflex hammer, thermometer, flashlight & tongue depressor – all for just $29.95/month ! then they leave. limited offer – act fast !
There are good and bad HMOs wherever you go.
Kaiser is owned by the same group that now owns Cone, so they are run similarly. In the 1980s, my aunt and uncle had a horrible outcome with his treatment at a Kaiser facility in CA. However, that should have been largely attributed to their refusal/inability to comply with treatment plans for his health.
My mom, on the other hand, who was paralyzed in an accident at the age of 71 in 2002, was treated by Kaiser and then cared for by them for the next 14 years. She received exceptional care and rehab, ongoing therapy and medical guidance, as well as end-of-life care. I believe a lot of that had to do with members of our family being informed and engaged with her doctors and therapists along the way.
Health care is complicated now and requires patients to be educated, involved, and quite pushy when it comes to treatment (or refusal of treatment plans). It’s not for people who don’t understand the system and are willing to go along blindly, accepting whatever’s being told to them. People need to ask questions, research choices, talk to people, and get second and third opinions. And they need to be willing to spend lots of time arguing with insurance companies over medical coverage.
Whether another ER run by High Point is helpful will depend on its location and whether the HP ER is in one’s insurance system. If a person needs to be admitted after ER care, will they be admitted to Cone, Wake Forest Atrium, or High Point Hospital based on the patient’s preference or insurance coverage? It’s going to be interesting.
I’m curious about where on Church Street this will be located. It seems the most likely places are areas already served by medical facilities, unless it’s North of Pisgah Church Rd, which is a far ride from High Point Hospital. Cone ER is actually quite centrally located on Church St it’s just busy and should have been expanded, but people were short-sighted in their priorities.