COLUMBIA, S.C. — MUSC Health has announced a $30 million investment to expand its emergency department services at its downtown Columbia Medical Center, aiming to better serve the city’s growing population.
The expansion will nearly double the number of beds in the emergency department, with the goal of providing faster care to patients. The need for additional capacity comes as Columbia continues to experience significant growth.
“We've had significant growth in Columbia and as a hospital system, and so to continue to serve the community, we need to expand and add beds to our emergency room,” said Dr. Bill Phillips, chief medical officer for MUSC’s downtown Columbia and Northeast locations.
Phillips emphasized that the investment will lead to "improved access and improved patient care" through the emergency rooms. "We're very excited about it," he added.
With Columbia’s population continuing to rise, driven by the development of more residential homes downtown, Phillips said this $30 million investment is crucial to meet the increased demand for emergency services.
“To continue to serve the community, we need to expand and add beds to our emergency room. This $30 million investment by MUSC will allow us to essentially double our bed capacity in the emergency room. So it's very important for the community,” Phillips explained.
Columbia Mayor Daniel Rickenmann voiced his support for the project, highlighting the importance of partnerships in handling the city's growth.
“Partners are important,” said Rickenmann. “As we look at the three healthcare systems that operate in our community, anything they’re doing to enhance the quality of services helps us. So when you talk about a $30 million injection into MUSC’s facility, the old Providence Hospital, you're talking about an investment in a community that's building itself back.”
The expansion and renovations are slated to begin in December of this year, with completion expected by early 2026. Phillips assured the community that there will be no disruption to current emergency services during the construction process.
“The design and outlay of this by the team has been very carefully thought out. Our normal ER operations will continue uninterrupted,” Phillips stated. “The clinical lab space will move first, that space will then be renovated, and then the current part of the ER will be renovated following that, so there’s no disruption in care.”
The improvements to the MUSC Columbia Medical Center are anticipated to enhance the hospital's ability to provide timely, quality care to the growing population of downtown Columbia.