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WALLACE — As Wallace and nearby communities prepare for a surge in residential and commercial development, one vital question looms large: can the region’s healthcare infrastructure keep up? With new neighborhoods rising and businesses opening their doors, local officials and healthcare providers alike are turning their focus to ensuring that access to quality medical care grows alongside the community. ECU Health is among those taking notice — and taking action.
According to an email from Ashlin Elliott of ECU Health Marketing and Communications, the organization is seeking funding for this expansion.
“ECU Health submitted a budget request to the N.C. General Assembly to support expanded access to care in Duplin County,” Elliott said in the response. “While we don’t have specific details to share at this time, we remain committed to advocating for priorities and policies that support the most vulnerable rural areas of the state, regions where access to care is severely limited and where there is significant potential for state and federal investment to stabilize and strengthen local economies.”
ECU Health’s interest in expanding healthcare services in Duplin County was discussed in a recent meeting with local officials in Wallace, according to Mayor Jason Wells.
“They had questions for the town about the future growth and how quickly it was going to happen because they are looking at this area,” Wells told Duplin Journal. “Thinking about the future of healthcare, especially in a growing area such as the town of Wallace, they want to make sure they’re prepared for the growth.”
Wells expressed optimism regarding ECU Health’s potential expansion into the Wallace area.
“They have done an amazing job with the hospital in Kenansville since that became a part of ECU Health,” Wells said. “As we look five years down the road, or ten years, I’m excited to know they are looking at these things and planning for it because it’s one of those things I call essential keys to a growing community. You’ve got to have good healthcare.”
ECU Health is not the only provider that has noticed the need for services in the area. Independent healthcare providers have also taken note. The developer of Crossroads Town Center is responsible for the opening of a new urgent care service in the shopping center recently, meaning there are two such providers in Wallace now.
Wells noted that developers bringing new housing and businesses to the area are also interested in ensuring adequate healthcare services.
“They’re reaching out and talking to folks, whether it’s ECU Health or others, to really make sure that we’ve got the healthcare services we need as we grow, and as we age, honestly,” he said.
Wells added it’s not just doctors and hospitals that are needed under the healthcare umbrella.
“It goes beyond that,” Wells said. “You are also looking at eye care and dermatologists, all the things we deal with when we get a little older.”
While Wilmington offers a large variety of healthcare services, Wells says he hears frequently of the desire for those services to be closer to home.
“I also work in the pharmaceutical industry, in the healthcare industry, so it’s funny how my two worlds collide sometimes,” he said. “I get the opportunity to speak with a lot of folks in the community. They want the healthcare, they need the healthcare, and they want to be able to come here and have all the services they need within a two-or-three-mile radius.”
“Wilmington is a great place, it’s growing, but the traffic; let’s be honest, it can be tough at times,” Wells added.
ECU Health has stated that it is too early to provide specific details about where or what expanded healthcare services they might offer in the future. However, community leaders are pleased that the area is on ECU Health’s radar for future healthcare development.
