UNC Medical Center
UNC Medical Center is a 905-bed non-profit, public, research and academic medical center located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, providing tertiary care for the Research Triangle, surrounding areas and North Carolina. The medical center is a part of the UNC Health Care Health System and is made up of four hospitals that include the North Carolina Memorial Hospital, North Carolina Children's Hospital, North Carolina Neurosciences Hospital, North Carolina Women's Hospital, and the North Carolina Cancer Hospital. UNCMC is affiliated with the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. UNCMC features an ACS designated adult and pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center and has a helipad to handle medevac patients.
History
UNC Medical Center was first proposed in 1948 by Governor Robert Gregg Cherry when picking a location for the UNC School of Medicine. A 400-bed hospital was proposed to be built next to the medical school, and ultimately completed in 1952. The hospital only consisted of North Carolina Memorial Hospital until the new additions of the medical center.During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the medical center adopted strict visitation policies to conform with CDC guidelines including no visitors other than people receiving end of life care or pediatric patients.
North Carolina Memorial Hospital
The first hospital in what later became known as UNC Hospitals and the UNC Health Care System was North Carolina Memorial Hospital, which opened on Sept. 2, 1952. North Carolina Memorial Hospital is the largest hospital in the medical center featuring 803 beds. The hospital also includes an adult Level 1 Trauma Center, Burn Center, and Stroke Center that treat over 70,000 patients annually.In 2019 it was announced that a new 7 story, 335,000 ft2 tower would be built on the UNC medical center campus at a cost of $257 million. The new addition is set to house 24 operating rooms and dedicates 2 floors to 56 new ICU beds. The addition will also include reception areas on each floor and offices for staff.
Controversy
The Joint Commission has put UNC Medical Center's accreditation status on probation after finding several problems with the medical center. The Joint Commission has said that problems include insufficient suicide screening assessments and lack of suicide resistant furniture in psychiatric health areas. The hospital has responded by issuing a statement that there was "no finding of any immediate threats to public health and safety."Rankings
North Carolina Children's Hospital
North Carolina Children's Hospital is a pediatric acute care hospital located within UNC Medical Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The hospital has 150 beds. It is affiliated with The University of North Carolina School of Medicine, and is a member of UNC Health. The hospital provides comprehensive pediatric specialties and subspecialties to infants, children, teens, and young adults aged 0–21 throughout North Carolina. North Carolina Children's Hospital features the only pediatric Level 1 Trauma Center in the region, and 1 of 3 in the state.Patient Care Units
- 64-bed inpatient unit - General Inpatient Care
- 8-bed Children's Intermediate Care Center - Severity Below ICU But Greater Than Inpatient Care
- 58-bed Newborn Critical Care Center - Intensive Care For Neonates
- 20-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit - Care For Critical Pediatric Patients
- 8-bed Children's Short Stay Unit - Care For Patients Requiring Less Than 24 Hours Of Care
Controversy
Rankings
The hospital is ranked nationally in 7 specialties and ranked #2 in North Carolina.| Specialty | Rank | Score |
| Neonatology | N/A | N/A |
| Pediatric Cancer | #36 | 75.1 |
| Pediatric Cardiology & Heart Surgery | N/A | N/A |
| Pediatric Diabetes & Endocrinology | #16 | 73.9 |
| Pediatric Gastroenterology & GI Surgery | #36 | 68.7 |
| Pediatric Nephrology | #30 | 75.7 |
| Pediatric Neurology & Neurosurgery | N/A | N/A |
| Pediatric Orthopedics | #23 | 76.8 |
| Pediatric Pulmonology & Lung Surgery | #16 | 74.9 |
| Pediatric Urology | #37 | 67.8 |
North Carolina Cancer Hospital
The North Carolina Cancer Hospital is a public adult and pediatric cancer hospital. The hospital is the flagship site for UNC Cancer care and is the clinical home of the Lineberger Cancer Center. The 315,000 sq2 is the state's only public cancer hospital. The new hospital opened in 2009 to replace the former 60-year-old building that used to be a tuberculosis sanatorium. The center is one of 71 comprehensive cancer's nationwide and 1 of 3 in North Carolina. The new hospital was created with $180 million in funds from the North Carolina State government. The Cancer Hospital also includes a new Clinical Trials Unit allowing the hospital to access more than $147 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health that were previously unavailable. The hospital offers its pediatric services in conjunction with the adjacent N.C. Children's Hospital.Facilities
- 101 examination, treatment, consultation, and procedure rooms
- 65 inpatient beds for medical oncology and bone marrow transplant
- 70 chemotherapy infusion rooms
- 1 CT Scanner and 2 General Radiology Rooms, 2 PET/CT Scanners
- 21 new Emergency Department treatment spaces to supplement existing ED space in the N.C. Neurosciences Hospital
- The facility features a telemedicine conference center
Awards
In 2014 and 2017, Becker's Hospital Review ranked the hospital as one of the "100 hospitals and health systems with great oncology programs."
In 2016, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina designated N.C. Cancer Hospital a Blue Distinction® Center+ in complex & rare cancers.