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UNC Health Chatham added maternity ward as others made cuts

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carolinapublicpress.org – Jane Winik Sartwell – 2025-05-13 06:00:00


Over the last decade, 10 hospitals in North Carolina have eliminated maternity care, with UNC Health Chatham in Siler City being a rare exception. Unlike other rural hospitals, UNC Health Chatham relies on family medicine doctors rather than OB/GYNs for maternity care, keeping costs lower. Despite challenges such as low birth rates and staffing shortages, the hospital has steadily increased the number of births, from 124 in 2022 to 180 in 2024. The community’s support and UNC Health’s financial backing helped sustain the center. This model is being considered as a potential solution for rural hospitals struggling with maternity care closures.

Over the last decade, 10 hospitals have eliminated maternity care in North Carolina. Just one has added it: UNC Health Chatham in Siler City.

The Chatham County center serves as a rare counterexample to the wave of rural maternity closures across the state. That’s where a stark divide has emerged: While hospitals in cities like Charlotte and Raleigh have added dozens of new delivery rooms, many rural facilities have shuttered or downsized their units, citing financial struggles.

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It’s a growing problem that was first detailed in Deserting Women, a three-part Carolina Public Press investigation in March that examined state data on every North Carolina hospital over the last decade. CPP found that hospital systems have systematically centralized services in urban areas while cutting them in rural ones. Some rural hospitals have also cut or reduced certain critical OB/GYN services, leaving women more vulnerable to complications. 

But not in Siler City. There, much unlike other health systems, the responsibility of maternity care falls to family medicine doctors rather than more specialized practitioners. And the growing number of women giving birth at UNC Health Chatham in the past few years shows that the maternity center is fulfilling a need.

The question remains whether this model can be replicated in rural areas across the state. 

‘Everything shut down’

The labor and delivery unit at UNC Health Chatham originally closed in 1991. Nearly 30 years later, the ribbon was cut on a brand new maternity care center.

But the center’s survival has been fraught with challenges. The shock of a global pandemic, low numbers of women giving birth and staffing shortages nearly forced its closure just a year after it opened. Now, it’s out on the other side — and largely an anomaly in a changing rural medical landscape.

Most rural North Carolina hospitals frame the elimination of services for mothers-to-be as a financial inevitability. In Siler City, UNC Health Chatham proved that is not the case.

The idea came out of a rural residency program that Andy Hannapel, a family medicine doctor for UNC Health, was running in Chatham County. 

The proposal offered a chance not only to address the gap in maternity services, but also to test a new model of care. Unlike most hospitals that rely on specialized OB/GYNs, UNC Health Chatham primarily uses family medicine physicians to perform maternity care. That’s because OB/GYNs are specialists. They cannot treat general patients, making them an expensive and inflexible option for rural hospitals.

In 2019, UNC Health approved the plan, investing $2.6 million to renovate an existing wing of Chatham Hospital into a five-bed maternity care center.

Then came the pandemic. 

“We started construction and two weeks later, everything shut down,” Hannapel recalled.

Almost the end for UNC Health Chatham

Birth rates dropped. Women weren’t getting pregnant when it seemed like the world was ending. 

That presented a problem. If births fall but the hospital maintains the same level of service, the per-birth cost of staffing and equipment increases significantly, causing financial strain for the hospital. It’s a major reason why so many rural hospitals end up eliminating maternity services.

But birth rates weren’t the only thing in decline. Staffing also took a hit. A big one.

“We had a lot of nurses that were leaving,” said Jeffery Strickler, president of UNC Health Chatham, “and it became very difficult to staff our unit.”

Tough choices had to be made. The center could no longer stay open day and night. By winter 2021, the facility began shutting down over the weekend.

The reduced hours had a predictable effect: Many women chose to seek care elsewhere for fear that they would go into labor and the unit would be closed. 

A coalition of Chatham County community members was formed to find a way forward and commit to the center’s long-term viability. One of these community members was Casey Hilliard, a project manager for the organization Equity for Moms and Babies Realized Across Chatham.

“Based on financial metrics, the center was ready to close,” Hilliard said. “But they decided to turn away from only considering the financial metrics, and instead, decided to collaborate with the community. With that strategy, almost four years later, they’ve been able to sustain the maternity care center.”

Oh, babies

Ultimately, parent company UNC Health provided the hospital with $250,000 to hire contract nurses to fill the gaps in staffing. 

After that, things started to improve. 

In the years since the height of the pandemic, the number of births at UNC Health Chatham’s maternity care center has steadily increased. In 2022, 124 babies were born. 

In 2023, 140 babies were delivered. 

In 2024, it was 180.

Projections for 2025 forecast between 230 and 240 babies.

The rising number of births at the hospital runs counter to the conventional narrative that women are having fewer babies across the nation. But the increase is due to the focus on creating a pipeline of patients: having other doctors refer them to the center, and working to attract women with marketing and messaging.

Folks in Chatham County credit UNC Health’s financial support for allowing the hospital to do the improbable. But it’s unclear why UNC Health supported maternity care in Chatham County while simultaneously letting it fall elsewhere. Just a year before the maternity care center in Siler City opened, labor and delivery services were eliminated at UNC Health Caldwell in Lenoir.

Whatever the reason for the system’s support in Chatham County, it’s working. The average travel distance for pregnant women seeking health care was reduced from 35 miles to 16 miles, according to Hannapel. And he says women are becoming more satisfied with the care they’re receiving. 

“We really have emphasized being partners with women, not telling them what to do,” Hannapel said. “They have agency. They have the ability to decide. They have options. It’s about building a safe and welcoming environment, where women have a voice and they’re listened to.”

This article first appeared on Carolina Public Press and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The post UNC Health Chatham added maternity ward as others made cuts appeared first on carolinapublicpress.org



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Center-Left

This content presents a largely factual and solution-focused examination of rural maternity care challenges, aligning with an emphasis on community health and equitable access to medical services, themes often associated with center-left perspectives. It critiques the financial-driven closures of rural hospital services and highlights the positive impact of public health initiatives and community collaboration, without overt partisan language or ideological framing. The article supports healthcare access expansion and innovation, typical of a center-left approach balancing pragmatic solutions and social welfare concerns.

News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

When will Helene-damaged Broadmoor Golf Course be ready for play? FernLeaf Charter School back in business in previously flooded location? • Asheville Watchdog

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avlwatchdog.org – JOHN BOYLE – 2025-08-19 06:00:00


The Broadmoor Golf Course near Asheville Regional Airport, owned by the airport and leased to DreamCatcher Hotels, suffered over $10 million in flood damage from Tropical Storm Helene. DreamCatcher is rebuilding the course, clubhouse, and maintenance buildings using insurance and company funds, aiming to reopen in spring 2026. Meanwhile, FernLeaf Community Charter School in Fletcher, flooded by Helene, reopened its elementary Creek Campus after nearly a year with new modular buildings. Despite challenges, including ongoing construction and flooding risks, the school rebuilt on its original site with community support and flood insurance, celebrating resilience and continued education.

Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:

Question: The Broadmoor Golf Course near the airport suffered catastrophic damage during the floods of Helene. Only the driving range has been able to operate. But now there is great activity that looks like the course is being rebuilt. I think the property belongs to the airport, and it is contracted out for management. Who is paying for this work, and when might the course be ready again for play? 

My answer: I do miss playing this course, mainly because it’s not often I get a chance to hit a wayward shot onto an interstate, in this case I-26. Usually my drives are confined to the woods or a simple two-lane road. 

Real answer: In short, a lot is going on at Broadmoor, which is located off Airport Road about a mile from Asheville Regional. The airport does own the property, but it leases the golf course to a company, DreamCatcher Hotels, which operates the golf course and plans to build a hotel on the property.

Zeke Cooper, president and CEO of DreamCatcher, told me his company has a 50-year lease, and it is committed to site improvements.

“As always planned, we are developing a hotel on the property, which we plan to start site work on later this year,” Cooper said via email.

Tropical Storm Helene inundated the Broadmoor Golf Links course, causing over $10 million in damage. // Photo provided by DreamCatcher Hotels

Helene, which struck our area Sept. 27, inundated the golf course and clubhouse. The French Broad River is close by, and the property is, as the name implies, relatively flat.

“The golf course lost over 1,000 trees and had 12-18 inches of silt covering 60-70 percent of the course,” Cooper said. “The first step was to remove all of the tree debris and remove the silt.”

The company finished that in April, and golf course reconstruction started shortly thereafter.

“The clubhouse had two feet of water on the first floor, with the basement completely submerged,” Cooper said. “The maintenance and irrigation buildings were submerged, resulting in total losses of the buildings and all equipment within them. It was a mess!”

Fortunately, they did have flood insurance. Cooper said total damage exceeded $10 million.

“So a lot of the work is being paid for with insurance funds, as well as our own money,” Cooper said. “We do not have an opening date yet, but expect to reopen in spring of 2026.”

For the golfers out there, Cooper gave a detailed breakdown of all the work they’re doing:

On the golf course: Stripping all greens surfaces, adding in new greens mix and reseeding with bent grass. All greens are completed and currently growing in. The 11th green was completely destroyed, as well as some tee boxes. Those have been rebuilt and are growing in.

All of the fairways and tees have been stripped of silt, regraded and tilled. All of these areas are currently growing in with Bermuda grass.

All of the bunkers were stripped, regraded and rebuilt with new drainage and sand. Sod was used around every greens complex and all bunkers, with the work completed about a month ago.

Tropical Storm Helene left behind 12 to 18 inches of silt on the Broadmoor Golf Links course in the Fletcher area. Workers had it removed by April, and the company that operates the course is rebuilding. // Photo provided by DreamCatcher Hotels

The irrigation electrical system was destroyed, and has now been replaced. New irrigation pumps have been operational the last couple of months. Workers also had to clean out and replace drainage systems, along with lots of bank restabilization.

Driving range: “We were able to open the driving range in a temporary capacity while work was being undertaken on the course,” Cooper said. “We closed the range on Aug. 11, in order to fix damage from the flood.  It is currently under construction and we hope to reopen it in the next three to four months. No timetable, yet, as it’s weather dependent this late in the season.”

Clubhouse, maintenance buildings: The company gutted, cleaned and rebuilt the clubhouse. “We are close to hopefully reopening the clubhouse and restaurant in the next two months,” Cooper said. “We are working on finalizing some construction items for a full Certificate of Occupancy, as well as waiting on furniture, fixtures and equipment.”

The maintenance and irrigation buildings are completed and in use, Cooper added.


Question: What is going on with the FernLeaf Community Charter School in Fletcher? I’ve seen they’re putting back in mobile classrooms in the area that flooded, and it looks like it’s close to reopening. I thought they moved all the students to their location further south that sits on top of a hill?

My answer: I suspect all of the new mobile classrooms are actually barges. Pretty ingenious, really.

Real answer: Back in April I wrote about FernLleaf, the flooding at its location off Howard Gap Road in Fletcher, and the school’s plans to rebuild. Helene’s floodwaters filled the buildings with up to six feet of water and swept some of them off their foundations, Nicole Rule, communications, marketing and events coordinator for the school, said then.

On Monday she had some happy news about FernLeaf’s “second act.”

FernLeaf Community Charter School, which sustained major damage at its “Creek Campus” elementary school location in Fletcher, has reopened with new modular buildings. // Photo by Nicole Rule of FernLeaf Charter School.

“On Aug. 13, FernLeaf Community Charter School in Fletcher reopened its Creek Campus — 321 days after Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic flooding swept our main buildings off their foundations and left the campus under several feet of water,” Rule said via email. “In that time, over 430 elementary students and their teachers relocated to our Wilderness Campus (previously home to middle and high schoolers), where they continued learning without missing a beat.”

Rule said, “Community partners, including general contractor Beverly Grant and even the Carolina Panthers Charities (with a $20,000 grant), rallied to help us rebuild.

“While one building is still under construction due to this summer’s unrelenting rain, the reopening marks a milestone for our students, families, and the broader Fletcher/Asheville community,” Rule said. That building should be ready by the end of September.

Michael Luplow, FernLeaf’s executive director, said the school’s “journey has been a powerful demonstration of what we can achieve when we come together.”

“We are immensely grateful for the unwavering support of our students, families, staff, and the broader community,” Luplow said in the press release. “The re-opening of the Creek Campus is not just about a new set of buildings; it is a celebration of our collective spirit and our enduring mission to provide an innovative, inspiring education to our students.”

By the way, FernLeaf did rebuild on the same footprint, which is close to Cane Creek. But this is all approved.

“Since Fern Leaf had previously been constructed in a manner that met our current elevation requirements, they are permitted to go back in at the same elevation,” Town of Fletcher Planning Director Eric Rufa told me in April. “I have encouraged them to go higher, but current circumstances with regard to grade and ADA requirements may hinder that.”

The school did have flood insurance.


Asheville Watchdog welcomes thoughtful reader comments on this story, which has been republished on our Facebook page. Please submit your comments there.


Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/

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The post When will Helene-damaged Broadmoor Golf Course be ready for play? FernLeaf Charter School back in business in previously flooded location? • Asheville Watchdog appeared first on avlwatchdog.org



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The content presents factual information about local community issues, such as flood damage and rebuilding efforts at a golf course and a charter school, without expressing partisan opinions or advocating for a particular political ideology. The tone is neutral and focused on reporting details relevant to the community, reflecting a balanced and nonpartisan approach.

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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

First woman to skateboard across the country arrives in Virginia

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www.youtube.com – ABC11 – 2025-08-18 13:59:20


SUMMARY: Brooke Johnson, 29, became the first woman to skateboard across the U.S., completing a nearly four-month, 3,000-mile journey from Santa Monica, California, to Virginia Beach. Motivated by a promise to her late stepfather, Roger, who suffered a spinal cord injury and encouraged her to skate across the country, Brooke fulfilled her goal while raising over $54,000 for spinal cord research. Despite emotional and physical challenges, she felt Roger’s support throughout. At the finish line, she wore a necklace containing his ashes, symbolizing their shared journey. Brooke plans to rest before deciding her next adventure. Donations continue via “Brooke Does Everything.”

Brooke Johnson traveled by skateboard from California to Virginia Beach over 118 days to raise over $50000 for spinal cord injury …

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News from the South - North Carolina News Feed

Erin: Evacuations ordered in North Carolina | North Carolina

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www.thecentersquare.com – By Alan Wooten | The Center Square – (The Center Square – ) 2025-08-18 08:01:00


Hurricane Erin, which rapidly intensified from Category 1 to Category 5 over the weekend with winds near 160 mph, weakened slightly to Category 4 on Monday while remaining offshore. At 8 a.m., it was about 115 miles north-northeast of Grand Turk and 890 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, moving northwest at 13 mph. Dare County declared an emergency, ordering evacuations for Hatteras Island and the Outer Banks, where NC 12 is at risk of flooding and damage. While Erin is expected to miss U.S. landfall, North Carolina’s coast remains within its wind field amid ongoing recovery from Hurricane Helene.

(The Center Square) – Erin, once a Category 5 hurricane over the weekend that more than doubled wind speed to nearly 160 mph, on Monday morning remained on a path to miss landfall of the United States though not without forcing evacuations in North Carolina.

At 8 a.m., the Category 4 hurricane was just east of the southeastern Bahamas, the National Weather Center said, about 115 miles north-northeast of the Grand Turk Islands, and about 890 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras. Erin was moving northwest at 13 mph, forecast to be going north by Wednesday morning while parallel to the Florida panhandle.

Erin had 75 mph maximum winds Friday at 11 a.m., a Category 1, and 24 hours later was near 160 mph and Category 5. It has since gone to a Category 3 before gaining more intensity.

On the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, Category 1 is 74-95 mph, Category 2 is 96-110, Category 3 is major and 111-129 mph, Category 4 is 130-156 mph, and Category 5 is greater than 157 mph. While the most-often characterization of Atlantic basin cyclones, the scale is without context on storm surge – a key factor in damage at landfall.

Dare County on Sunday declared an emergency with evacuations ordered for Hatteras Island and the Outer Banks. N.C. 12, the famed 148-mile roadway linking peninsulas and islands of the Outer Banks, is likely to go under water and parts could wash away – as often happens with hurricanes.

NC12 begins at U.S. 70 at the community of Sea Level and runs to a point just north of Corolla and south of the Currituck Banks North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve. Two ferries, Hatteras Island to Ocracoke Island and Cedar Island to Ocracoke Island, are part of the route.

Nearly all of North Carolina’s 301-mile coastline is within the outer wind field projection from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center. The greatest speed, however, is 20 mph.

Erin’s rapid intensity is among the greatest on record, and particularly so for prior to Sept. 1. Hurricane force winds (74 mph) extend 60 miles from its center.

By midnight Thursday into Friday, the storm is expected to be past a point parallel to the Virginia-North Carolina border and gaining speed away from the coast.

The storm’s miss of the state is particularly welcome in light of Hurricane Helene. Recovery from that storm is in its 47th week. Helene killed 107 in the state, 236 across seven states in the South, and caused an estimated $60 billion in damage to North Carolina.

The post Erin: Evacuations ordered in North Carolina | North Carolina appeared first on www.thecentersquare.com



Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The content provided is a straightforward news report on Hurricane Erin, focusing on meteorological facts, evacuation orders, and recent hurricane impacts in North Carolina. It presents detailed information about the storm’s strength, projected path, and historical context without expressing any opinion or advocating for a particular political viewpoint. The language is neutral and factual, offering updates from official sources and avoiding ideological framing. Thus, it reports on the situation without contributing any discernible political bias or ideological stance.

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