Outpatient Medical Campus at Carolinas Medical Cen

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Charlotte, NC - Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) has announced Medical Center Plaza II, the first phase of a state-of-the-art outpatient medical campus, adjacent to its flagship hospital Carolinas Medical Center (CMC) at Morehead Street and Harding Place in Charlotte.

"The new buildings will be precisely what our physicians have been asking for," said Michael Tarwater, President and CEO of Carolinas HealthCare System. "Medical Center Plaza II will offer physicians new, expanded office space that is designed to meet their specific needs. It will include the most advanced clinical and technological features available while, at the same time, offer all of these services in a very patient-friendly location."

Tarwater added that the campus will support physicians and other caregivers by providing an environment where they can enhance and expand their practices. By being physically connected to CMC, the new office buildings will facilitate a free-flowing transition between outpatient and inpatient services.

The planned 300,000 square foot outpatient campus will be located adjacent to Carolinas Medical Center, one of North Carolina's largest hospitals that serves as one of the Southeast's primary regional referral centers.

"The technological capabilities of the new building will make it particularly appealing to physicians. For example, given the increasing acceptance of electronic-based communications systems, each physician will have appropriate secure access to our information systems. This will allow us to utilize all of our state of the art resources to assure that timely, high quality healthcare services are delivered while protecting the privacy and confidentiality of our patients", Tarwater said.

Scheduled for completion in the summer of 2004, the medical office buildings will connect to each other, as well as to Medical Center Plaza I and Carolinas Medical Center. They will have the infrastructure to support current and future medical delivery and technological needs. A new parking garage for outpatient and hospital use also is planned, and will be readily accessible to the new professional facilities via an all-weather connection for patients, physicians and staff.

Designed as a prototype medical office building of the future, Medical Center Plaza II will house complementary medical practices under a single roof. Custom-designed suites will meet individual practice requirements and promote efficiency, while the building amenities assure the most patient-friendly environment possible.

CHS will lease the land to Alter+Care, a nationally known development firm headquartered in Chicago, who will build and develop the building. "This project reaffirms CHS' and Alter+Care's shared commitment to developing cost-effective outpatient facilities with the goal of assuring community-based quality medical care," said John H. Driscoll, President of Alter+Care. "We are extremely excited to partner with CHS to create this sizeable amenity for the Charlotte medical community."

A not-for-profit, self-supporting organization, Carolinas Healthcare is the largest healthcare system in the Carolinas and one of the largest publicly-owned systems in the nation. The multi-faceted system owns and manages hospitals, nursing homes, physician practices and other healthcare services in both North and South Carolina, is comprised of more than 4,900 beds and employs more than 23,000 people and includes a physicians network of 640 primary care doctors and other providers. Carolinas Medical Center was recently recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Hospitals", and has been chosen by consumers as Charlotte's preferred hospital for the last five years.

The development team includes Alter+Care, an integrated, comprehensive services company that plans, develops, finances, markets and manages healthcare real estate assets. As the healthcare services affiliate of The Alter Group, a national commercial developer, the firm shares the national recognition, ownership perspective and financial stature to provide comprehensive real estate services. Alter+Care is headquartered in Chicago with regional offices in Phoenix and Atlanta.

According to Johnny Harris, President & CEO of Lincoln Harris, "This project meets a community need and is at the heart of CHS' mission - to identify and find ways to improve access to healthcare."

Associating with Alter+Care are RTKL Associates, Inc., a national architectural/engineering firm; and Charlotte-based companies such as leasing representative, The Stephens Company; general contractor, Shelco, Inc.; and associate architect, LS3P Associates, Ltd.

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Cool looking building