The Outer Banks Hospital (OBH) is a

critical access hospital The Critical Access Hospital program is a United States federal program established in 1997 as part of the Balanced Budget Act. The program aims to offer small hospitals in rural areas to serve residents that would otherwise be a long distance fro ...

located in

Nags Head Nag's Head or Nags Head may refer to: ;In London * Nag's Head, London, a locality in Holloway ** Nag's Head Market, a street market * Nag's Head, Covent Garden, a pub ;Elsewhere in the United Kingdom * Nag's Head Island, Abingdon-on-Thames * ...

, Dare County on the

Outer Banks The Outer Banks (frequently abbreviated OBX) are a string of barrier islands and spits off the coast of North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, on the east coast of the United States. They line most of the North Carolina coastline, separating ...

. It is 60%/40% partnership of the

ECU Health ECU Health (formerly Vidant Health) is a not-for-profit, 1,447-bed hospital system that serves more than 1.4 million people in 29 Eastern North Carolina counties. The health system is made up of nine hospitals and more than 12,000 employees. EC ...

and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare (CRH). The hospital opened in March 2002. The hospital has 21 general hospital beds. It also includes three Shared Inpatient/Ambulatory Surgery, one Endoscopy, and one C-Section operating rooms. It is the first and only major hospital on the Outer Banks.

History

Members from Pitt County Memorial Hospital (PCMH) in Greenville and

Albemarle Hospital Sentara Albemarle Medical Center is a hospital in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The hospital opened in 1914 and moved to its present location in 1960. Sentara Albemarle Medical Center is a 182 licensed bed, full service facility inpatient and ...

(AH) in

Elizabeth City Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,629. Elizabeth City is the county seat and largest city of Pasquotank County. It is the cultural, economic and educ ...

met in February 1996 to discuss a joint primary care health facility in Nags Head. The hospital wanted to purchase First Flight Family Practice Center for this undertaking. PCMH would provide two or three additional doctors and AH would provide specialists. Senator

Marc Basnight Marc Basnight (May 13, 1947 – December 28, 2020) was an American politician who served as a Democratic member of the North Carolina State Senate, representing the 1st district, from 1984 through his resignation just before the start of what w ...

used his political clout to ensure the hospital would receive approval. In April 1998, PCMH, AH,

Chowan Hospital Chowan Hospital is a critical access hospital located in Edenton, North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. I ...

in Edenton and CRMC considered a $15 million hospital in Dare County. AH dropped its support and decided to join up with Sentara Health System (SHS) of

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. They wanted to build a $14–$16 million hospital. The two Certificate of Need (CON) were filed on August 12, 1998. PCMH/CRMC wanted a facility with 18 beds in

Kill Devil Hills Kill Devil Hills is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 7,633 at the 2020 census, up from 6,683 in 2010. It is the most populous settlement in both Dare County and on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The ...

. The combined AH and SHS, called HealthCarolina, wanted a 20-bed, $18 million facility at an existing facility at Kitty Hawk. The municipal boards of Kitty Hawk and

Southern Shores Southern Shores is a town in Dare County, North Carolina, United States. It is located on the Outer Banks and the population was 3,107 at the 2020 census. Geography Southern Shores is located at (36.124454, -75.732612). According to the United ...

endorsed the HealthCarolina proposal. The Dare Board of Commissioners, and the municipal boards of Kill Devil Hills and Nags Head endorsed the PCMH/CRMC partnership.

Emergency physician An emergency physician (often called an "ER doctor" in the United States) is a physician who works at an emergency department to care for ill patients. The emergency physician is a specialist in advanced cardiac life support (advanced life suppor ...

s on the Outer Banks backed PCMH/CRMC with its larger proposed emergency room. On November 28, 1998, the North Carolina Division of Facility Services awarded the CON to the PCMH/CRMC partnership. It would be a $18 million, 18-bed hospital on 14-acres of land on

U.S. Route 158 U.S. Route 158 (US 158) is an east–west United States highway that runs for from Mocksville to Whalebone Junction in Nags Head, entirely in the state of North Carolina. It is also a critical route that connects the cities of Winston- ...

in Kill Devil Hills. In June 1999, PCMH decided to move the hospital location to Nags Head. Nags Head cost around $1.5-$2 million less, had access to sewage and was two feet higher. It opened in March 2002.

References

External links

The Outer Banks Hospital
{{DEFAULTSORT:Outer Banks Hospital Buildings and structures in Dare County, North Carolina Hospital buildings completed in 2002 Hospitals in North Carolina 2002 establishments in North Carolina