By Shamona McClary

Kannapolis Citizen

It was 69 years ago when Charles A. Cannon founded Cabarrus County's first hospital. At the time, the county only had a sick house on Union Street in Concord, and Cannon wanted to provide sufficient health care for his workers at Cannon Mills. The institution began as Cabarrus County Hospital with only 46 beds and 10 bassinets.

Although Cannon and his mills are no longer here, the hospital has expanded into a regional medical facility that fosters patient care, education and research.

"His overall vision has been achieved," said Carol Lovin, vice president of strategic planning and marketing at the hospital.

Lovin said Cannon's influence on the hospital is still as strong as when he was alive.

Specializing in cardiology and neurosurgery, the facility now has 457 beds, 4,400 employees and about 30 satellite offices.

As the community continues to grow, Lovin said the facility must accommodate that growth.

One way they plan to do that is by moving its affiliate, Kannapolis Internal Medicine, to a larger building on the N.C. Research Campus — California billionaire David Murdock's $1 billion biotechnology hub.

Kannapolis Internal Medicine, on Jackson Park Road, provides comprehensive care for anyone over 16 years old. It has a staff of 30 and sees about 26,000 patients a year, averaging 105 daily.

The current facility is about 19,000 square feet with a diagnostic center and laboratory.

Designs are still in the planning stages, but Lovin said the new facility could be as large as 25,000 square feet.

The highlight of the new building will be an imaging center, she said. This will provide CT and MRI scanning.

In September, the hospital will submit a certificate of need (CON) application to the state to get the specialized equipment. This certificate is needed for any project over $2 million or any equipment in excess of $750,000.

Another feature will include the use of integrative medicine — a non-traditional type of medical treatment.

She used a cancer patient to describe this phenomenon. In addition to using chemotherapy or surgery, she said the patient could also use prayer, acupuncture or massage therapy.

Lovin said they are hoping to open a wellness center that will address diseases such as diabetes.

The new Internal Medicine facility will be in the same building as Cabarrus Family Medicine, and Lovin said there will probably be some overlap, but patients can decide where they want to go.

"Both systems will be there to take care of the community," she said.

She said they look forward to partnering with Cabarrus Family Medicine and working with universities on the campus to conduct research.

"It's very exciting and energizing to be a part of the Research Campus," she said. "There are so many fresh and new ideas. It's a real opportunity to elaborate on our mission."

NorthEast has received several accolades including being the only hospital in the region to be named a magnet hospital in nursing. And it continues to be ranked in the top 100 hospitals.

While several other hospitals are in the surrounding area, Lovin said there is nothing like NorthEast.

"People can count on their hometown hospital. They don't have to go somewhere else for advance technology," she said.

Contact Shamona McClary at 704-933-3450 or smcclary@salisburypost.com.