CMC Announces New Hospital in Carolina Forest
Conway Medical Center (CMC) filed a Certificate of Need on May 6, 2020, with the Department of Health and Environmental Control to transfer 50-beds to a new hospital facility
to be built on International Drive in Carolina Forest. CMC Carolina Forest would offer a wide range of services to one of the faster-growing communities in South Carolina including women’s health, surgical, emergency, cancer care, orthopedics, and imaging.
“Better access to care is crucial for our rapidly growing communities, so we are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring our award-winning care and service to Carolina Forest,” said Bret Barr,
President and Chief Executive Officer of Conway Medical Center. “From a historic perspective as Horry County’s oldest healthcare provider and the only non-profit hospital currently based in Horry County, it is our responsibility to allocate our resources to meet this need.”
The new state-of-the-art, technologically advanced facility would consist of 50 hospital beds, including eight labor and delivery rooms, two C-section rooms, six ICU beds, three operating rooms, and a six-bay infusion center. The beds would be transferred from CMC’s current 210-bed licensed capacity at its main campus in Conway. These beds are currently under-utilized at the main facility, and the transfer would allow CMC to properly align resources to meet our community’s growing healthcare needs.
“The level of care we are able to provide is second to none in our area,” said Dr. Paul Richardson, Chief Medical Officer. “This new hospital facility in Carolina Forest would allow us to provide services like labor and delivery and minimally-invasive surgical procedures closer to home for many Horry County residents.”
In addition to the wide array of healthcare services, this new hospital would also create more than 250 new jobs.
In order to preserve as much of Horry County’s natural beauty, this new project has been designed to ensure minimal impact upon the wetlands in the area. 70% of the 350-acre property will remain untouched and protected from mitigation. The building itself has been specifically designed to limit any negative impact on the remaining wetlands and utilizing the natural beauty of the area to create a better experience for our patients.
CMC recognizes the challenges that COVID-19 has caused in our communities and in order to maintain focus on COVID-19, we held off announcing this project until now. With the improving hospitalization rates, we continue to look to the future for planning purposes. This facility is part of CMC’s long-term strategic goals. If the Certificate of Need is approved and the project moves forward, the current timeline has construction complete in late 2024.
