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Cone Health proposes new Forsyth County hospital

Cone Health drawing
Image courtesy Cone Health
Artist Rendering of Cone Health Winston-Salem

Cone Health has announced plans for a new hospital in Forsyth County.

The health system is seeking approval for a $320 million facility in southeast Forsyth along I-70 and the Northern Beltway.

Cone Health Vice President of Strategy Melissa Shearer says the state has determined the area needs about 100 more hospital beds. 

"We are proposing to serve just about half of that need, because we believe that we bring a different model of what we call value-based care, personalized, convenient care based on proven models that connect care and connect health and well-being," says Shearer.

The nearly 200,000 square-foot facility would include 56 acute care beds, 18 emergency department bays and four procedure rooms. Shearer says it will complement existing Cone Health locations in Kernersville, High Point and western Guilford County.

The move follows a years-long territorial dispute between Cone Health and Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist over Atrium’s plans to build a hospital in Greensboro. State officials ultimately sided with Atrium — that facility is slated to open in 2029.

Before his arrival in the Triad, David had already established himself as a fixture in the Austin, Texas arts scene as a radio host for Classical 89.5 KMFA. During his tenure there, he produced and hosted hundreds of programs including Mind Your Music, The Basics and T.G.I.F. Thank Goodness, It's Familiar, which each won international awards in the Fine Arts Radio Competition. As a radio journalist with 88.5 WFDD, his features have been recognized by the Associated Press, Public Radio News Directors Inc., Catholic Academy of Communication Professionals, and Radio Television Digital News Association of the Carolinas. David has written and produced national stories for NPR, KUSC and CPRN in Los Angeles and conducted interviews for Minnesota Public Radio's Weekend America.