BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. — One of Berkeley County’s largest healthcare investments in decades has reached a major milestone.
Roper St. Francis Healthcare announced Wednesday the completion of a three-year expansion project at Berkeley Hospital, a sweeping undertaking that doubled the hospital’s bed capacity, expanded critical services and added hundreds of healthcare jobs to one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing regions.
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Hospital leaders, community members and elected officials gathered June 10 to celebrate the completion of the project, which added more than 300,000 square feet of new and renovated space to the campus at 100 Callen Blvd.
The expansion comes just seven years after Berkeley Hospital opened in 2019 as Berkeley County’s first full-service hospital in 45 years.
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Growing Alongside Berkeley County
Since opening its doors, Berkeley Hospital has served a region experiencing explosive residential and commercial growth.
Officials said the expansion was designed to meet increasing demand for healthcare services in Goose Creek, Summerville and surrounding communities while allowing residents to receive more advanced care closer to home.
“This expansion reflects our commitment to grow alongside our neighbors and ensure families have access to advanced healthcare close to home,” said Roper St. Francis Healthcare President and CEO Joseph DeLeon.
The project also created approximately 350 healthcare jobs.
Emergency Department More Than Doubles
Among the most visible additions is the newly expanded Gregory M. Parker Emergency Department, which grew from 14 patient care bays to 35.
Hospital officials held a ribbon-cutting ceremony during Wednesday’s celebration to mark the opening of the facility, which was made possible in part through a $5 million donation from Parker’s Kitchen founder and Executive Chairman Greg Parker and the Parker’s Community Fund.
The larger emergency department is expected to help accommodate growing patient volumes and reduce wait times.
New Bed Tower Doubles Capacity
At the heart of the project is a new four-story inpatient tower that increases Berkeley Hospital’s capacity from 50 beds to 100.
The expansion includes:
- A doubled intensive care unit (ICU)
- A new intermediate care unit
- A larger medical-surgical unit
- Additional patient rooms and support services
The tower now serves as the centerpiece of the hospital campus and is connected to the medical office building through a weather-protected concourse.
Expanded Services for Families and Patients
The project also introduced several new healthcare services and expanded existing programs.
One of the final components completed this month was a new Labor & Delivery Unit featuring six delivery rooms, six nursery beds and 12 postpartum rooms.
The hospital also opened a new Perinatal Center designed to care for pregnant women experiencing potentially high-risk or complicated pregnancies.
Other additions include:
- A new Heart & Vascular Center
- Expanded wound care services
- Additional women’s imaging services
- New DEXA bone density scanning
- Expanded interventional radiology
- Additional laboratory and pharmacy space
Surgical and Imaging Capacity Doubled
Hospital officials said the expansion significantly increases diagnostic and surgical capabilities.
The project doubled imaging capacity by adding a second CT scanner and MRI unit while expanding interventional radiology services.
Surgical capacity also doubled, growing to eight operating rooms and adding renovated perioperative space designed to improve the patient experience before and after surgery.
Built While Remaining Open
One of the more remarkable aspects of the project was that construction occurred while the hospital remained fully operational.
Over three years, physicians, nurses, staff and contractors worked around active patient care areas while maintaining services.
According to hospital officials, Berkeley Hospital maintained an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group throughout the entire construction process.
“Our teammates have continued to deliver exceptional care while adapting to changing spaces and workflows,” said Chief Nursing Officer Jennifer Crawford. “Their commitment to our patients never wavered.”
By the Numbers
The expansion required:
- 600,000 work hours
- 3,100 craftworkers
- 2,000 tons of steel
- 8,500 cubic yards of concrete
- 18 miles of earthquake drains
- Three miles of aggregate piers
- More than 600 prefabricated exterior wall panels
Construction was completed in phases by Rodgers Builders, allowing patient care to continue uninterrupted throughout the project.
More Growth Ahead
The completion of the Berkeley Hospital expansion represents one piece of Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s broader growth strategy across the Lowcountry.
The healthcare system plans to open new health pavilions in Summerville later this summer and in Mount Pleasant in 2027. Meanwhile, construction continues on a new Roper Hospital campus in North Charleston, which is expected to open in 2029.
For Berkeley County residents, however, the newly expanded hospital represents a significant increase in healthcare access at a time when the region continues to add thousands of new residents each year.
