For years, people living in Scotts Hill and Hampstead had to travel to Wilmington for medical appointments, screenings and specialty care.
But those time-consuming commutes for care are now behind them.
Beginning Dec. 11, a central, one-stop location will provide expanded access to primary care and specialty services for those living in northern New Hanover and eastern Pender counties.
Novant Health’s new Scotts Hill Medical Plaza will open at Scotts Hill Medical Center campus, which will eventually serve as the satellite campus for Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical Center. The campus will host a 72-bed hospital when construction is completed by summer 2026.
But more immediately, patients have access to the medical plaza’s cancer center and multispecialty clinic, which offers primary care, specialty care and other services under the same roof.
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The value of proximity to primary and specialty care
Advancements in medical technology mean that fewer medical procedures require overnight hospital stays than before. While that’s welcome news, the phenomenon has created another effect: demand for more outpatient locations in expanding communities. About 50,000 people are projected to move to New Hanover and Pender counties by the end of the decade — and expert medical care will be in their neighborhood.
“There are a lot of retirees realizing that it’s great to live in southeastern North Carolina, and with that comes an aging population in need,” said Dora Daughhetee, who helped design the medical plaza and manages heart and vascular services at Novant Health. “This building will immediately offer patients improved access, and it meets our mission of providing care as close to home as possible.”
Medical plazas, also known as medical office buildings or MOBs, eliminate the need for long — and in many cases, multiple — trips for medical care.
Radiation and chemotherapy infusion treatments often require treatment several days a week. That hardship is improved with the new cancer center, featuring both radiation oncology and medical oncology, on the medical plaza’s ground floor.
The outpatient clinic on the second floor offers advanced cardiac imaging, including stress tests, echocardiograms and vascular studies. When a cardiologist refers a patient for such an imaging procedure, that service can be performed at the same location.
Novant Health leadership continues to recruit physicians and clinicians at the Scotts Hill location to ensure better care coordination and improved health outcomes for more patients, Daughhetee said.
“Adding this location to meet the community’s growth was absolutely needed,” she said. “The ability for patients to now receive primary and specialty care in the same building reflects our broader goal of offering convenient care closer to home.”
