Belmont, NC, Sep 01, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Southern Benedictine Society and Belmont Abbey College announce the official signing of the lease agreement between CaroMont Health, Inc., and the Southern Benedictine Society of North Carolina, Inc., for the construction of a hospital on the Abbey’s property. The monks of Belmont Abbey unanimously approved the lease earlier this month. The cooperative venture will provide substantial benefits to the Abbey, the college, CaroMont Health, and the Gaston County community.

“I am grateful to Chris Peek, President and CEO of CaroMont Health, and to Dr. Bill Thierfelder, President of Belmont Abbey College, for initiating the discussions that led to this significant day in the Abbey’s history,” said Abbot Placid Solari, O.S.B., the superior of the monastery. “Special recognition goes to Richard Hoefling (’71), Bill Monroe, and Michael Warstler (’86), without whose expertise and dedicated service on behalf of the Abbey, the lease would not have been realized. I am grateful as well to all in the college community who worked so diligently on the SOAR initiative, which this lease will help to bring to fruition.”

The SOAR initiative has brought about new healthcare majors in Nursing and Health Information Management & Analytics which began welcoming students this fall. Both programs are pending approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), North Carolina Board of Nursing, and other regulatory agencies. More information on these new programs can be found at healthcare.bac.edu.

For more on the lease agreement, including the full signing ceremony, click here.