Ernest Health, Summit Healthcare Group plan to develop 6 rehab hospitals across North Carolina. The project includes locations in Winston-Salem, Mooresville, Gastonia, Hickory, South Asheville, and Goldsboro. Published: September 22, 2026 Posted by Robert McCune Ernest Health (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) is partnering with Summit Healthcare Group (Winston-Salem, N.C.) to develop rehabilitation hospitals in six North Carolina markets, according to a news release. Phase one of a plan to expand coverage across the state will include freestanding facilities in Winston-Salem, Mooresville, Gastonia, Hickory, South Asheville, and Goldsboro. Sites have been secured in each market. The facilities will provide physical, occupational, and speech therapy services for patients recovering from strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries, amputations, and other debilitating illnesses. Additionally, each facility will feature a therapy gym, activities of daily living suite, in-house dialysis suite, restaurant-style dining room, pharmacy, and landscaped therapy courtyard. Posted In: News

Press releases. Ernest Health Announces Six-Hospital Inpatient Rehabilitation facility Expansion Across North Carolina. 22 September 2026 Ernest Health, a national owner and operator of freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospitals, today announced Phase 1 of its North Carolina development program: six freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospitals in Winston-Salem, Mooresville, Gastonia, Hickory, South Asheville/Arden and Goldsboro. Sites have been secured in all six markets and are under the control of the program's development partner. The hospitals are being developed in partnership with Summit Healthcare Group, a Winston-Salem-based healthcare real estate development firm founded in 2008 that has delivered more than 750,000 square feet of ground-up healthcare projects. Site control is in place across all six markets. Specific parcels have been identified, secured and placed under the control of Summit Healthcare Group, spanning the Piedmont Triad, the Lake Norman and Gaston County submarkets of the Charlotte region, the Catawba Valley, Western North Carolina and Eastern North Carolina. Each site was selected for its proximity to acute care referral sources, access to major transportation corridors and the size of its older adult population. Each hospital will serve patients recovering from debilitating illnesses and injuries, including strokes and other neurological disorders, brain and spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions. In addition to 24-hour nursing care, each hospital will offer physical, occupational and speech therapies designed to help patients restore function and improve their quality of life. Care will be provided by specialized nurses, therapists and physicians. The hospitals are designed around a hospitality-first philosophy that pairs advanced clinical care with the comfort and refinement of a boutique hotel. Spacious, all-private patient suites feature residential-style finishes, generous natural light and room for family members to stay close, creating a calm, restorative environment where patients can rest, recover and heal with dignity. Beyond the patient suites, each hospital will offer a spacious therapy gym with advanced rehabilitation technologies, an activity of daily living suite, an in-house dialysis suite, a restaurant-style dining room, an on-site pharmacy and a landscaped therapy courtyard. Every space is intended to make the path to recovery feel less like a hospital stay and more like a return to home. "North Carolina is a priority state for Ernest Health, and we are moving decisively," said Jake Socha, CEO of Ernest Health. "Sites are secured, our development partner is engaged and Phase 1 is underway. Our intention is to build the leading rehabilitation network in this state, and we have committed the capital, leadership and clinical expertise to do it. As we have for more than 20 years, our focus remains on bringing world-class care and outcomes to every North Carolina market we enter." "Each of these six markets was selected through rigorous analysis of access gaps, referral patterns and population need," said Robin Saxon, Chief Strategy and Development Officer of Ernest Health. "We did not announce these markets until we controlled the ground. With every site secured and a proven North Carolina development partner in place, we move from announcement to construction without delay. Phase 1 establishes our footprint in this state. It does not define the limit of our commitment to it." Additional markets are under evaluation for subsequent phases. Bed counts, opening timelines and local clinical partnerships for each Phase 1 hospital will be announced as projects advance through planning, permitting and regulatory review. About Ernest Health Ernest Health owns and operates 45 medical rehabilitation hospitals in 14 states, providing specialized rehabilitative care for patients recovering from disabilities caused by injuries, illnesses or chronic medical conditions. Its hospitals are managed locally to meet the needs of the communities they serve while sharing clinical knowledge, resources and best practices across the organization. For more information, visit ernesthealth.com About Summit Healthcare Group Founded in 2008 and headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Summit Healthcare Group is a full-service healthcare real estate development company specializing in acute care hospitals, medical office buildings, ambulatory surgery centers and primary care facilities. For more information, visit summithg.com See news story here: Ernest Health Announces Six-Hospital Inpatient Rehabilitation Expansion Across North Carolina - ernesthealth.com

Ernest Health plans six-hospital rehabilitation expansion across North Carolina. September 21, 2026 Ernest Health is launching a six-hospital expansion across North Carolina, securing sites for new freestanding inpatient rehabilitation facilities in Winston-Salem, Mooresville, Gastonia, Hickory, South Asheville/Arden and Goldsboro as the national operator builds a statewide rehabilitation network. The six facilities represent the first phase of Ernest Health's North Carolina development program. The company is working with Winston-Salem-based Summit Healthcare Group, a healthcare real estate developer that has completed more than 750,000 square feet of ground-up healthcare projects since its founding in 2008. Specific parcels have been identified and secured in all six markets and are under Summit's control. The locations give Ernest Health an initial footprint stretching from the Piedmont Triad and Charlotte-area submarkets to the Catawba Valley, Western North Carolina and the eastern part of the state. Ernest Health said it selected the markets after evaluating rehabilitation access gaps, patient referral patterns and population needs. Site selection also considered proximity to acute-care hospitals, major transportation corridors and concentrations of older adults, factors that can influence both referral volumes and patient access to inpatient rehabilitation services. "North Carolina is a priority state for Ernest Health, and we are moving decisively," CEO Jake Socha said. "Sites are secured, our development partner is engaged and Phase 1 is underway." The expansion represents a significant geographic push for Ernest Health, which currently owns and operates 45 medical rehabilitation hospitals across 14 states. Rather than entering North Carolina through a single facility, the company is establishing multiple locations across distinct regional healthcare markets, creating the foundation for a broader network from the outset. Each hospital will treat patients recovering from serious illnesses and injuries, including strokes and other neurological disorders, brain and spinal cord injuries, amputations and complex orthopedic conditions. The facilities will provide 24-hour nursing alongside physical, occupational and speech therapy, with care delivered by specialized physicians, nurses and therapists. The planned hospitals will consist of private patient rooms and incorporate rehabilitation and support services within each facility. Designs call for therapy gyms equipped with rehabilitation technologies, activities-of-daily-living suites, in-house dialysis suites, on-site pharmacies, restaurant-style dining areas and landscaped therapy courtyards. Ernest Health is also positioning the physical environment as part of its care model. Patient suites are planned with residential-style finishes, natural light and space for family members, reflecting an effort to make extended rehabilitation stays more comfortable while patients work toward returning home and regaining independence. The six-market rollout gives the company exposure to several different North Carolina healthcare and population centers. Mooresville and Gastonia extend the planned network into the Lake Norman and Gaston County portions of the Charlotte region, while Hickory provides a presence in the Catawba Valley. Winston-Salem anchors the Piedmont Triad portion of the expansion, South Asheville/Arden covers Western North Carolina and Goldsboro establishes a location in the eastern part of the state. Robin Saxon, Ernest Health's chief strategy and development officer, said the company waited to disclose the markets until it had secured control of the sites. "Each of these six markets was selected through rigorous analysis of access gaps, referral patterns and population need," Saxon said. "Phase 1 establishes our footprint in this state. It does not define the limit of our commitment to it." Additional North Carolina markets are already being evaluated for future development phases, signaling that the six facilities could serve as the first layer of a larger regional growth strategy. Ernest Health has not yet disclosed the number of beds planned for each hospital or individual opening dates. Those details, along with local clinical partnerships, are expected to be announced as the projects progress through planning, permitting and regulatory review. Summit Healthcare Group, founded in 2008, specializes in healthcare real estate development spanning acute-care hospitals, medical office buildings, ambulatory surgery centers and primary-care facilities. Its role in the program gives Ernest Health a North Carolina-based development partner as the rehabilitation operator moves the six projects toward construction.