CAROLINA FOREST, S.C. (WBTW) — McLeod Health’s Carolina Forest campus said construction on a new hospital is coming this fall after receiving a “certificate of need” from the state.
The new hospital will be in between buildings one and two of its Carolina Forest campus. The project is $56 million and will be more than 82,000 square-feet.
“We were really excited yesterday when we received the ‘certificate of need’ for the 48-bed hospital to be able to build there,” said Monica Vehige, the CEO of McLeod Loris Seacoast Hospital.
In addition to the 48 beds, the new hospital will have four operating suites, along with the three outpatient buildings already on campus that serve primary care, specialty care and emergency care.
“During the [certificate of need] process we had continued with preparing hospital plans, so we are hopeful that we can work with the county to get permits pulled pretty quickly and we could start on construction here,” Vehige said.
Vehige said once construction starts, hopefully this fall, it’ll take a little more than two years to be completed.
She added that McLeod’s board of trustees have already approved the million dollar amount for the facility.
Vehige said McLeod Health has been serving the region for 117 years, and the expansion is coming at a time when Horry County is the fastest growing in South Carolina. She said the new hospital will also bring new economic development.
“Because we are offering an expansion of services, we will have new jobs that we will create by expanding that campus down there and obviously being able to serve the community better,” Vehige said.
Vehige said McLeod Health has more plans coming in 2025.
“In July, we broke ground on a free-standing cancer center here at our Seacoast campus,” she said. “So, that will be our first comprehensive cancer center in Horry County that will have medical oncology, chemotherapy, infusion and radiation oncology all under one roof.”
In addition to the new hospital, Carolina Forest community members will also have access to diagnostic, pharmacy and laboratory services.
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Jackie LiBrizzi is a multimedia journalist at News13. Jackie is originally from Hamilton, New Jersey, and was raised in Piedmont, South Carolina. Jackie joined the News13 team in June 2023 after she graduated as a student-athlete from the University of South Carolina in May 2023. Follow Jackie on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
