Abbey Excellence

On Tuesday, January 7th, a special ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the grand opening of CaroMont Regional Medical Center – Belmont, with President Thierfelder and Abbot Placid joining CaroMont executives to celebrate the new facility. Earlier in the week, they had the privilege of taking a private tour of the impressive hospital, guided by CaroMont Health CEO Chris Peek and Richard Blackburn, Vice President of Operations, gaining insight into the hospital’s state-of-the-art offerings.

Belmont Abbey College welcomes this new era for the City of Belmont and for our college community. The establishment of a facility dedicated to the care of others reflects the monks’ ongoing commitment to this community. Abbot Placid expressed deep gratitude for this milestone in their nearly 150-year mission of love and hospitality, emphasizing how privileged we are to be part of this collaboration. Since conversations between Chris Peek, Dr. Thierfelder, and Abbot Placid began in 2019 about a hospital serving Gaston County in Belmont, it is truly remarkable to see the hospital come to fruition—more than five years in the making.

The college is overjoyed at this new beginning and the many benefits it will bring to the broader community and our nursing students. Starting in the Fall of 2025, our students will utilize space in the hospital for training and complete clinicals at the new facility. In addition, the college is equally excited to welcome CaroMont’s nurses into our BSN and MSN programs in the years ahead.

During the tour, Richard Blackburn shared, “A hospital is only as good as the care the patient receives… It is about how we’re going to care about that patient, one person at a time. We want to focus on caring for that patient and every staff member understanding that that’s the only thing that matters. The only thing that we’re here to do is to care for people.”

This partnership represents a shared commitment to exceptional care and education, and we look forward to its lasting impact on our community.

CaroMont Regional Medical Center – Belmont began receiving its first patients on Wednesday, January 8th at 8 a.m.