“We need more beds for patients”

SUMMERVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) – A Lowcountry hospital opened its new surgical unit Monday, offering more space.

Summerville Medical Center is in the first phase of its $66.8 million Inpatient Tower construction project.

Phase one is their floor with 30 new private rooms for patients who have undergone elective surgeries such as orthopedic surgery. There is also a physical therapy gym on the floor.

Operations manager John Hobbs said the project itself has been in the works for about eight years, but construction on this floor took just over a year to complete.

He said they need that extra space to be able to care for their patients.

“As this community continues to grow, we need to do what we need to do to support it and we need more beds for patients. We need more space for our surgical patients. As our practices grew, we lacked the follow-up care we needed,” Hobbs said.

This will increase the number of concession beds at the hospital by 40 percent and create approximately 174 additional beds.

The next phase includes intensive care units for patients requiring extensive care. The entire project is expected to be completed in early 2025.

The hospital held its grand opening ceremony on September 19, but the opening was postponed due to the impact of Hurricane Helene.

“We had a little delay. Some of the people who had to come on our last tour were involved in the storm recovery and helping in the affected areas, doing what they needed to do,” said Julia Malone, Three North Surgical Unit Manager.

Malone said her team expects the private rooms will help their patients recover smoothly as Summerville continues to grow.

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