CHS will now move forward with building the new facility. In addition to the hospital, the location will also accommodate a large medical office park with several primary and specialty care physicians. Site work could begin as early as March 2008, pending final architectural design approval. With a timeline of approximately three years for construction, officials estimate the 101-bed hospital may be able to open during fourth quarter 2010.

"We appreciate the state Division of Health Service Regulation considering and accepting the additional data submitted to make their decision. Now, the very important work of planning and constructing a medical campus to serve our county well into the future can begin," said Acker.

"This CON decision solidifies our goal of increasing access to quality healthcare locally," said Danny Richard, CMC-Lincoln Community Trustee Council Chairman..

Meanwhile, medical convenience for the people of Lincoln County is being addressed by CMC-Lincoln. The West Lincoln physician office project is well underway and a physician has already been recruited to begin seeing patients there once construction is completed. Groundwork has also begun for the East Lincoln ambulatory surgical center to be located on the new Highway 16, giving Denver residents easier access to outpatient diagnostic procedures and surgeries.

Once the new CMC-Lincoln hospital is built and patients have been moved in, CHS will move forward with its agreement with Lincoln County commissioners to return, debt free, the hospital's current buildings and land, located at 200 Gamble Drive, enabling the county to save valuable tax dollars while still meeting current needs for building space and program expansion.

Lincoln County Commission chairman Tom Anderson, who also serves on CMC-Lincoln's Community Trustee Council, views the state decision not only as a success for healthcare, but also for the economy of Lincoln County.

"It's an exhilarating time to be a Lincoln County resident as we witness the development of new healthcare facilities in the west, east and center of the county and look to having the benefit of more physicians and services for our residents. We hope to see a trickle-down effect as more businesses look to Lincoln County as an expansion possibility," said Anderson.

Since CMC-Lincoln became an entity of Carolinas HealthCare in September 2006, CHS has already strengthened its presence in Lincoln County, recruiting additional primary care physicians and specialists and increasing cardiology services through a new cardiac call link physicians may use at the hospital to connect with Sanger Clinic physicians.

"It's an exciting time to be a Lincoln County resident as well as a physician practicing at CMC-Lincoln as we anticipate this new hospital facility opening and play an active role in shaping the way it serves our patients," said Dr. Margo Aswad, CMC-Lincoln chief of staff. "We envision the new CMC-Lincoln hospital to be a facility in which patients and families can receive the quality of medical care they've come to expect from CMC hospitals, and physicians and staff can find the environment a gratifying place to work."