Local hospitals are expanding into Berkeley County in response to rising demand.
Roper St. Francis Hospital in Berkeley County opened its new emergency room on Monday to meet the area’s growing healthcare demand. The treatment bays were more than doubled in size, from 14 to 35.
“We got the busiest ER in the Roper St. Francis system, so 14 bays were significantly confined,” said Patrick Bosse, Berkeley Hospital’s Chief Administrative Officer. “These additional bays bring much needed space to that department.”
To meet the area’s growing needs, they plan to expand with a mammogram center, wound care clinic, imaging services, and more over the next year.
“There’s certainly a lot of people moving into the area, people want to be able to receive health care services close to home, and we’re excited to be able to do that,” according to Bosse.
Novant Health is also looking to expand into Berkeley County.
Kirsten Royster, President of the Charleston area for Novant Health’s South Carolina Region, said in a statement to News 2.
“As part of Novant Health’s commitment to creating a healthier future for Berkeley County, we are assessing needs in areas north of Charleston to ensure that every community has access to world-class healthcare close to home. We also broke ground this month for an emergency department on Clements Ferry Road, which will also provide primary care on-site.
Our vision for South Carolina includes a fully integrated network of outpatient clinics, specialty care, and hospital services that are tailored to the specific needs of these thriving and expanding communities. We look forward to bringing our nationally recognized safety and quality programs to future health campuses and will share more information soon.”
This follows their announcement last week that they will build an emergency care facility off Clements Ferry Road as part of their plan to expand in the TriCounty area.
MUSC is also planning a medical facility on Clements Ferry, but they confirmed to News 2 that it will not include an emergency department.
