A new 20-bed hospital planned for the corner of Patewood Drive and Frontage Road near Interstate 385 in Greenville is a step closer to reality after the state Department of Public Health granted Novant Health a certificate of need, the health system announced June 19.

Novant Health announced plans for the new state-of-the-art facility in April as part of the health system’s efforts to expand access to health care in the Upstate.

According to Novant, the facility will be outpatient focused and will include specialty services, operating rooms and diagnostic imaging, with the flexibility to expand based on future demand.

In addition to the Patewood hospital, the nonprofit health system plans to continue expanding services in a way that is tailored to the unique needs of each community, including holistic, seamless care coordination across the region. Novant Health already owns urgent care facilities across South Carolina as well as hospitals and practices on the coast.

The health system also announced in April that Ryan Lee will lead Novant Health Greenville and oversee the health system’s ongoing expansion in the region.