Novant Health

Novant Health helps meet the needs of Brunswick County

Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center is a 74-bed hospital offering a wide range of services including surgery, imaging, laboratory, cardiac rehabilitation, physical therapy, speech therapy, respiratory and pharmacy. The facility has four operating rooms and one C-section room, as well as a 24-hour emergency department.

Since joining Novant Health in 2006, Brunswick Medical Center has added a variety of new programs and services, including da Vinci robotic surgery, outpatient infusion and IV therapies, enhanced recovery after surgery, speech therapy, mobile mammography, 3-d mammography, teleneurology and telepsychiatry, lung CT screening, palliative care and wound care. In the 13 years since Novant Health joined the Brunswick County community, births at the hospital have more than doubled from 243 in 2006 to 489 in 2018.

Novant Health has also added a medical office building next to Brunswick Medical Center, opened the Novant Health South Brunswick Medical Plaza in Carolina Shores, Novant Health Brunswick Endoscopy Center in Supply and added a procedure room and sleep center at the hospital.

Novant Health is an active member in the Brunswick County community. For its second year, Brunswick Medical Center partnered with the Brunswick County Sheriff’s office on the Anchor Initiative to help combat opioid use. Novant Health also participated in the National Prescription Drug Take Back event with several other local hospitals.

In 2018, Novant Health participated in numerous events, including serving as the presenting sponsor of the North Carolina Oyster Festival in Ocean Isle and as a sponsor of the North Carolina 4^th of July Parade and Naturalization Ceremony in Southport. For the fourth year in a row, Novant Health partnered with several local Brunswick County organizations to host a free community baby shower where clothing, diapers, toys, toiletries and more were given out to new and expectant mothers.

Accolades

Brunswick Medical Center has been recognized with awards and accolades in recent years, including:

• The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval
• American Heart Association Get with the Guidelines – Stroke Gold Plus
• Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership in Diversity Award for 2018 – and the Chairman’s Excellence in Business Award for 2016
• American College of Radiology National Accreditation in Radiology, MRI and Ultrasound
• The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers
• Baby Friendly Designation by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund

Last year, Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center received international recognition as a Baby-Friendly Desginated birth facility. As a Baby-Friendly hospital, Brunswick Medical Center is staffed with a lactation consultant who assists mothers in gaining the skills and confidence they need to breastfeed once the baby arrives. Other important practices of Baby-Friendly hospitals include encouraging skin-to-skin contact between mothers and newborns and rooming in, allowing the baby to stay in the mother’s room during their time in the hospital.

Partnerships

Novant Health has partnered with other healthcare systems to help meet the needs of the growing community.

Novant Health Surgical Associates located at 1456 Howe St. in Southport has relocated to the Dosher Memorial Hospital campus at 819 N. Atlantic Ave. in Southport. Novant Health Surgical Associates will continue to see patients at clinic locations in Bolivia, Carolina Shores and Leland. Through this partnership between Novant Health and Dosher Memorial Hospital, board-certified general surgeons from Novant Health Surgical Associates performs surgeries at both Dosher Memorial Hospital and Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center.

Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center also partnered with New Hanover Regional Medical Center to station an AirLink aircraft at the Brunswick campus to enable the rapid transport of patients who need critical, specialty interventions available at NHRMC and other trauma centers. Previously, patients in need of transport from Brunswick Medical Center or the surrounding area would have either waited for an AirLink helicopter to arrive from outside the county or been transported via ground. This new service will expedite care for patients in the most critical situations.

Growth

Novant Health has also grown rapidly to meet the needs of the community. In 2018, Novant Health added new services to the market including endoscopy and sleep diagnostics. New locations included:

Novant Health Brunswick Endoscopy Center

13 Medical Campus Drive NW, Suite 101, Supply
910-721-4300
NovantHealth.org/Brunswick

Novant Health Brunswick Endoscopy Center opened in April and is Brunswick County’s first, freestanding outpatient endoscopy center. Novant Health Endoscopy gives patients access to a wide variety of endocscopy services, including colonoscopies and endoscopies.

To better support Novant Health Brunswick Endoscopy Center, Novant Health Gastroenterology Brunswick also relocated. The clinic is now adjacent to the endoscopy center and has added new providers to care for patients. In addition, the general surgeons with Novant Health Surgical Associates perform colonoscopies at the new endoscopy center. 

Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center Sleep Center

240 Hospital Drive, Rooms 2145 & 2146, Bolivia
910-721-1000
NovantHealth.org/Brunswick

Novant Health Brunswick Medical Center opened a new sleep center that offers diagnostic services for a full range of sleep disorders. The sleep center is staffed by registered technicians and Novant Health’s board-certified sleep physician, Dr. Babysarojah Ravindran.

Patients can be tested for various sleep disorders including sleep apnea, insomnia, narcolepsy and restless limb disorder.

A physician referral is required to participate in a sleep study.

Novant Health Coastal Plastic Surgery

4789 N. Howe St., Suite 201, Southport
910-754-8808
nhcoastalplasticsurgery.org

In August, Novant Health relocated its first plastic surgery clinic, Novant Health Coastal Plastic Surgery, in Brunswick County to Southport, after spending four years in Supply.

The clinic is led by Dr. Phillip Khan, a board-certified plastic surgeon.

Novant Health Endocrinology

204 Smith Avenue, Shallotte
910-721-4230
NovantHealth.org/EndocrinologyShallotte

In March, Novant Health Endocrinolgy relocated to Shallotte after spending time in it’s temporary location in Carolina Shores.

The clinic is staffed by Virginia Czimber, family nurse practitioner, and supported by Dr. Paul Whitesides.

Novant Health Rehabilitation Center

75 Emerson Bay Road SW, Suite 102, Carolina Shores
910-721-3157
NovantHealth.org/Brunswick

In May, Novant Health Rehabilitation Center relocated its outpatient physical therapy location from Calabash to the Novant Health South Brunswick Medical Plaza in Carolina Shores.

The clinic is staffed by physical therapist Heather Smith.

Novant Health welcomed several new physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to its growing network of local health care providers in Brunswick County. They include:

Dr. Sandra Carnahan

Novant Health Oceanside Family Medicine
509 Olde Waterford Way, Suite 200, Leland
910-408-1130

nhoceansidefamilymedicine.org

Dr. Sandra Carnahan joined Novant Health Oceanside Family Medicine in December. She completed medical school at A.T. Still University Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kirksville, Missouri, with a degree in osteopathic medicine. Carnahan completed her osteopathic family medicine residency at University Hospitals Richmond Medical Center in Richmond Heights, Ohio and an integrative medicine fellowship at the University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine in Tucson. She is fluent in Spanish.

Dr. De Lora Cummings

Novant Health Family & Internal Medicine South Brunswick
75 Emerson Bay Road SW, Suite 102, Carolina Shores
910-579-8363

nhfamilyinternalmedsouthbrunswick.org

Dr. De Lora Cummings joined Novant Health Family & Internal Medicine South Brunswick on a part-time basis and joined the clinic full-time in September. She completed her bachelor’s of science degree in biology from Union College in Schenectady, New York and received her medical degree at Albany Medical College in Albany, New York. Most recently, she served as a primary care physician at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro, North Carolina. Cummings is also a U.S. Army veteran.

Richard Haire, PA-C

Novant Health Family & Internal Medicine South Brunswick
75 Emerson Bay Road SW, Suite 102, Carolina Shores
910-579-8363

nhfamilyinternalmedsouthbrunswick.org

Richard Hair, physician assistant, joined Novant Health Family & Internal Medicine South Brunswick in June. He completed his master’s degree of health professions and the physician assistant program at Northeastern University in Boston. Most recently, Haire served as a physician assistant in internal medicine with Conway Physicians Group in Conway, South Carolina. 

Lorie Harding, PA-C

Novant Health Oceanside Family Medicine
584 Hospital Drive, Suite C, Bolivia
910-721-4100

nhoceansidefamilymedicine.org

Lorie Harding, certified physician assistant, joined Novant Health Oceanside Family Medicine in February. She received her Master of Science and Bachelor of Science degrees in physician assistant studies from D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York. Harding has been practicing as a physician assistant for over six years throughout the state of New York. She is a certified physician assistant in both North Carolina and New York.

Dr. Scott Itzkowitz

Novant Health Gastroenterology Brunswick
13 Medical Campus Drive NW, Suite 102, Supply
910-754-5988

nhgastroenterologybrunswick.org

Dr. Scott Itzkowitz joined Novant Health Gastroenterology Brunswick full-time in August after serving patients on a part-time basis. He completed medical school at West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine and his internship and residency in internal medicine at Naval Medical Center San Diego. Itzkowitz completed his fellowship in gastroenterology at the University of California, Los Angeles Medical Center. Prior to joining Novant Health, he served as the gastroenterology department head at Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune and chief of gastroenterology at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Itzkowitz recently retired as a captain in the Medical Corps of the United States Navy.

Barbara Paolucci, FNP-C

Novant Health Gastroenterology Brunswick
13 Medical Campus Drive., Suite 102, Supply
910-754-5988

nhgastroenterologybrunswick.org

Barbara Paolucci, family nurse practitioner, joined Novant Health Gastroenterology Brunswick in January. She completed her bachelor and master of science degrees in nursing from Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. Most recently, Paolucci worked at Atlantic Internal Medicine in Supply.

Dr. Kerry Partis

Novant Health Medicine Pine Forest
2950 Pine Plantation Parkway, Oak Island
910-454-4032

NovantHealth.org/FamilyMedPineForest

Dr. Kerry Partis joined Novant Health Medicine Pine Forest in January. She earned her bachelor’s degree of science in biology from East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. Partis received her doctor of medicine degree from American University of the Caribbean in St. Maarten. Most recently, Partis worked at Sentara Family & Internal Medicine in Moyock, North Carolina.

Dorothy Truax, PA-C

Novant Health Gastroenterology Brunswick
13 Medical Campus Drive NW, Suite 102, Supply
910-754-5988

nhgastroenterologybrunswick.org

Dorothy Truax, physician assistant, joined Novant Health Gastroenterology Brunswick in September. She completed the physician associate program at the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Connecticut. Before joining Novant Health, she worked as a physician assistant at Southeast Anesthesiology Consultants in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Karis van Althuis, PA-C

Novant Health Oceanside Family Medicine & Convenient Care
5145 Sellers Road, Shallotte
910-754-4441

nhoceansidefamilymedicine.org

Karis van Althuis, physician assistant, joined Novant Health Oceanside Family Medicine & Convenient Care in August. She received her bachelor’s degree of science in biology from Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, and her master’s degree of science in physician assistant studies from East Carolina University’s College of Allied Health Sciences in Greenville, North Carolina.

Natalie Yount, FNP-C

Novant Health Family & Internal Medicine South Brunswick
75 Emerson Bay Road SW, Suite 102, Carolina Shores
910-579-8363

nhfamilyinternalmedsouthbrunswick.org

Natalie Yount, family nurse practitioner, joined Novant Health Family & Internal Medicine South Brunswick in April. She completed her bachelor’s degree in nursing at Winston-Salem State University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and her master’s degree in nursing and the family nurse practitioner program at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Most recently, Yount served as a family nurse practitioner at Happy Valley Medical Center in Lenoir, North Carolina.