Novant Health has opened a freestanding emergency department in Bluffton, SC. The 10,000 SF facility at 8 Parkside Drive operates 24/7 with 10 treatment rooms and onsite diagnostics. It completes phase one of Washington Square Medical Park, where a medical office building is now under construction.
Emergency care options in South Carolina’s Lowcountry grew this week as Novant Health began treating patients at a new freestanding emergency department in Bluffton. The facility completes the first phase of Washington Square Medical Park, a healthcare campus the system is developing in the rapidly expanding town.
Freestanding emergency departments operate independently of a hospital building while delivering hospital-grade emergency evaluation and treatment. Health systems across the country have adopted the model as a way to extend acute care into growing suburban markets, where population gains often outpace inpatient capacity. Patients who require specialized hospital services are stabilized onsite before being transported for further care.
Board-certified emergency medicine physicians staff the Bluffton department alongside experienced nurses and support personnel. Dr. Erica McEnery, medical director for emergency services at Novant Health Hilton Head Medical Center, said the location allows residents to receive expert emergency care close to home in situations where every minute counts. Joel Taylor, the system’s president for the Hilton Head area, characterized the project as a long-term investment in a community that ranks among the fastest growing in the state.
Additional development is already underway on the campus, where a medical office building under construction will add outpatient and specialty care services. The opening also follows the recent debut of Novant Health Buckwalter Place Medical Park nearby, which houses primary care, orthopedic services and an imaging center.
According to a July 21 announcement from Novant Health, the emergency department occupies a 10,000 SF building at 8 Parkside Drive off Buckwalter Parkway, operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and contains 10 treatment rooms, including a dedicated trauma room, supported by a full range of onsite diagnostic services.