The interim director of Central Regional Hospital says the facility is ready for the transfer of patients and staff from Dorothea Dix Hospital in Raleigh to the new facility in Butner.

In a letter to N.C. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Dempsey Benton released Wednesday, Dr. Michael Lancaster noted that anonymous complaints investigated by surveyors from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services were unsubstantiated and the hospital received no findings as a result of the survey.

Lancaster also noted that federal regulators were satisfied that "...the appropriate structure is in place to allow for a successful transition."

The $130 million Central Regional Hospital opened in mid-July after four delays because of safety and staffing issues. Some state lawmakers continue to argue that the hospital is not ready for additional patients from Dix.

"While there have been issues that we have addressed at CRH and will continue to address as a result of the transition to a new building and new technology, we feel confident none of these issues poses a significant risk to patients or staff," Lancaster wrote. "Our greater concern is the ongoing effort to support two independent facilities when program staffing and treatment models depend on these two facilities being merged together."