UNC Health Blue Ridge

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UNC Health Blue Ridge is a not-for-profit hospital in Morganton, North Carolina, serving Burke County. It is part of the UNC Health Blue Ridge system, which also includes facilities in Valdese, the Grace Ridge Retirement Community, the Phifer Wellness Center, and various physician practices.

History and origins
Grace Hospital began as a mission of the Episcopal Church. In the early 1900s, local residents and donors supported the project, including funding from Mrs. George Zabriskie Gray. Grace Hospital opened on August 1, 1906, with two white wards (one for men and one for women) and four beds in each, plus a separate annex for Black patients with two four-bed wards. The hospital also had an operating room and a dispensary. Mrs. Hughson, the wife of the rector, became the first superintendent and led fundraising and improvements.

Today
The hospital has about 305 beds and an emergency department, with a helipad for medical transport. In May 2025, the North Carolina Office of Emergency Medical Services verified UNC Health Blue Ridge as a Level III Trauma Center. Kathy C. Bailey serves as president and chief executive officer.