Southern Florence and Williamsburg County residents took a giant leap forward in obtaining unrivaled health care services with the opening of MUSC Health Black River Medical Center in Cades, SC.
“We are officially open to help people, and I couldn’t be more excited to offer these important services to this area,” said MUSC Health Florence Division Chief Executive Officer Jay Hinesley. “MUSC Health set out to fill a gap that desperately needed to be filled. Community members can be reassured that this hospital is here whenever you need us with the most state-of-the-art technology and services available.”
MUSC Health broke ground in January 2021 to construct the new rural hospital. MUSC Health Black River Medical Center was built to replace Williamsburg Regional (Kingstree) and Lake City Community hospitals and will become part of the MUSC Health Florence Division. From the beginning, MUSC Health worked diligently with Williamsburg Regional Hospital (Kingstree) and Lake City Community Hospital to create a planned and purposeful community transition.
MUSC Health Black River Executive Director Allen Abernethy said, “Today marks a great day in this area for everyone in the community. We have worked tirelessly to make this the best rural hospital and provide the best care possible. I think we’ve done that, and we should be proud.”
Approximately 90% of current employees and providers from Lake City Hospital and
Williamsburg Regional Hospital are employed at MUSC Health Black River Medical Center or other MUSC facilities in Florence, Marion, or the Charleston areas.
The 64,000 sq. ft. rural hospital will allow residents of the community to have access to a full range of modern diagnostic and interventional capabilities. Some of the services offered include 3-D mammography, MRI, nuclear medicine, CT scanning, on-site pharmacy, and a complete imaging department. The new facility features 25 inpatient beds, four observation beds, two operating rooms, and 16 emergency treatment rooms. The new hospital serves Williamsburg and lower Florence counties and assumes the roles of Williamsburg Regional Hospital and Lake City Community Hospital.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,000 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 850 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $327.6 million in research funds in fiscal year 2021, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding, with more than $220 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.
As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest-quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 14 hospitals with approximately 2,500 beds and five additional hospital locations in development; more than 350 telehealth sites, with connectivity to patients’ homes; and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2022, for the eighth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.
MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets totaling $4.4 billion. The nearly 25,000 MUSC team members include a world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver and support groundbreaking education, research and patient care.
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