Cary, North Carolina.  Anyone who knows anything about video games knows who Epic Games is.  As the developer of “Unreal Tournament 3″ and “Gears of War” (to name but two of their efforts) they are a powerhouse in the video game industry.  Gears of War” has sold more than 5 million copies worldwide.  Epic’s new version”Gears of War 2″ is due for release on November 7 and a movie version will be produced as well.  Now, Epic will team up with Electronic Arts of California to sell a new game Epic’s studio in Poland is developing.  The Polish studio is called - People Can Fly.  EA sells video games and should increase Epic’s sales even more.

Three Contenders For 41 New Wake County Hospital Beds.  Novant Health of Winston-Salem wants to build a $110 million 47 bed  community hospital in Holly Springs.  Rex Healthcare wants to add 26 beds to its women’s center and add 15 beds in surgical units.  The price tag for these additions would be $20.4 million.  Wake Med proposes a 61 bed women’s hospital on its North Raleigh campus.  It would cost $34 million.  A decision as to who draws the long straw is expected from state regulators in January.

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: Marvmax@mindspring.com   Website: www.JohnFish.com (currently being revised)

Raleigh, North Carolina.  Is Everyone In Wake County Sick?   Because of explosive growth in Wake County and all of the Triangle area there is great demand for more and more medical facilities.  WakeMed, Rex and Duke seem bent on seeing to it that it is provided.  Expansion to the tune of $249 million is planned between WakeMed and Rex near their main facilities.  WakeMed Health & Hospitals says the tab for an inpatient facility at its’ main New Bern Avenue location should cost about $99 million.  Rex Healthcare wants a $150 million outpatient facility across from its’ main campus on Blue Ridge Road.  The medical folks talk about hospitals as if they were Universities.  Considering all the training that goes on in them I suppose that isn’t too far fetched.  At any rate the Rex project calls for a 130,000 square foot three-story building that would include urgent-care services, labs, diagnostic imaging equipment and operating rooms.  There will be 85,000 square feet of offices and a 1,000 space parking deck.  Completion is targeted for 2012.

The WakeMed expansion calls for a four-story 168,000 square-foot building (in the background do you hear the faint strains of “Anything you can do I can do better”?).  It would provide 102 medical-surgery, intensive care, rehabilitation and pediatric beds.  There would also build a 1,200 car parking deck. 

WakeMed, Rex and Duke University Health System have opened a dozen or more outpatient centers around the Triangle during the last two years and indicate that more are on the way. 

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: Marvmax@mindspring.com   Website: www.JohnFish.com 

Wake County, North Carolina.  Feeling Funky?  Call WakeMed Or Rex Healthcare.  These local healthcare giants have filed plans for new facilities in North Raleigh, Cary, Garner and Holly Springs.  Not to be outdone, Duke University Hospital filed for a $596 million expansion at its Durham campus.  Duke Raleigh East is building a $22 million satellite health facility in Knightdale.  WakeMed has just filed plans for a $34.5 million facility in the Brier Creek area.  They also want to build a $25 million facility in Garner.  They are already building ”healthplexes” in Apex and Wendell. 

Want more? Rex has filed plans for a $6.8 million urgent care center in west Cary and another one of $5.5 million in Holly Springs.  This puts me in mind of the saying, “All dressed up and no place to go.”  THe media is full of the almost desperate need for doctors and nurses in the Triangle so how they are going to staff all these facilities is beyond me.   I seem to hear the click of a single pair of shoes echoing and re-echoing down an empty corridor and a voice saying, “The doctor will see you - - on April 19, 2008.”  Think I’m kidding?

When I was young it was a gas station on every corner.  Now, it looks like it is going to be a healthcare facility on every corner; for all the good it may do.

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John Fish (919) 696-3474  Email: Marvmax@mindspring.com  Website: www.JohnFish.com 

Raleigh, North Carolina.  WakeMed Health & Hospitals will spend $100 million to provide greater health care services.  On their main campus they will build a four story, 60 bed cardiac inpatient tower. It will cost about $34 million.  A new parking deck will be built to replace an existing parking deck that is being demolished to provide space for this tower.  Also, a new central cooling plant will be built. In addition, they will increase the size of their ReHab Hospital by 16 beds which will bring that facilities total to 84.  During 2005, WakeMed performed 1,032 open heart surgeries which was more than the number done by Rex Hospital, UNC Hospitals and Durham Regional Hospital combined.  The expansion is designed to help meet the needs of the Triangle areas every expanding population of elderly residents.

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: marvmax@mindspring.com   Website: www.JohnFish.com