New Randolph medical center reaches halfway point

Feb. 9—RANDOLPH COUNTY — Randolph County is a little more than six months away from the opening of a new, state-of-the-art medical center.

Local government and business officials gathered Thursday at the construction site of Cone Health MedCenter Asheboro for the "topping out" ceremony, the placement of the last structural beam, which was colored Cone Health's signature light blue instead of steel-gray like the rest so attendees could sign their names in black on it.

If the rest of construction goes as planned, the $72 million, 51,500-square-foot medical center could see its first patients in November, Cone Health CEO Mary Jo Cagle said.

The building — which will house primary care, urgent care, imaging and laboratory services — is part of Cone's commitment to the health of the Randolph County community, she said.

"This is just the first of many things you will see that demonstrate our commitment," she said.

Darrell Frye, the chairman of the Randolph County Board of Commissioners, hailed the milestone and said it was particularly important to county residents because of the struggles of Randolph Health.

Randolph Health like many rural hospitals struggled to stay afloat and eventually filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020. The bankruptcy court approved its sale in 2021 to California-based American Healthcare Systems for $10.2 million.

Cone Health MedCenter Asheboro will be the health network's sixth facility using the MedCenter concept, which brings a host of health and wellness services together in one place. The design centers on customer convenience and services that complement one another, officials have said. The goal is for consumers visiting a doctor to be able to walk down the hall for a blood test or an ultrasound instead of having to drive elsewhere. They may even pick up a prescription while leaving.

Cone Health MedCenter Asheboro is being built on a 60-acre site just west of Interstate 74 on Spero Road northwest of Asheboro.