From Staff Reports

A groundbreaking was held April 9 for Park Ridge Health at Biltmore Park, a $10 million state-of-the-art medical center that will be located immediately off I-26, Exit 37. It is expected to open in 2014.

The four-story, 25,000-square-foot future will create 30 new jobs and serves as the home of 16 physicians and their teams will include Dr. Denise Ingram, Dr. John Lang, Dr. Teresa Bradley, Dr. Leah Swann, Dr. Ronald Johnson and Dr. Wade Grainger, who already provide care for thousands of patients in the Arden and South Asheville area.

Located just across from the entrance to Biltmore Park, the planned facility will also house specialties including cardiology, endocrinology, nephrology, rheumatology, allergy and immunology, neurology and obstetretics and gynecology, and provided extended hours, weekend access to care, imaging services and lab services, all under one roof.

The Park Ridge expansion is expected to increase the competition with its two local competitors, Asheville-based Mission Health and Hendersonville-based Pardee Hospital.

“Park Ridge Health has provided primary care services at Biltmore Park and the surrounding area for many years, and this new medical center represents a strategy to consolidate many South Asheville physician practices into one cost-efficient location,” Jimm Bunch, president and CEO of Park Ridge Health, said. “With this innovative project, we can maximize the services we offer to the community, continue to raise the bar in quality of service and ease access to care.”

Carlo Mainardi, chief medical officer for Park Ridge Health, added, “This project is yet another example of Park Ridge Health’s unwavering commitment to providing leading-edge health care services for our community.”