By Mark S. Kenna
Sept. 2, 2013. The Appalachian Regional Healthcare System emergency room off Chestnut Street in Blowing Rock is scheduled to close at the beginning of October.
Once the old location is sold, those funds will be channeled into Appalachian Place at Chestnut Ridge, a $20 million 112-bed facility that will be just north of the Blue Ridge Parkway exit on U.S. 321 between Blowing Rock and Boone. The new facility will focus on post-acute care services while utilizing Watauga Medical Center and Cannon Memorial Hospital for acute patient care.
The facility will incorporate a “neighborhood concept,” including a rehabilitation wing, an extended care wing, a memory support wing and a primary care outpatient clinic.
The 68-acre facility is scheduled to be completed next fall.
The location off Chestnut Street has been operating since 1952.
While the nurse confirmed the closure, corporate communication could not be reached on Labor Day for a comment.