New Roper Hospital Medical Campus to be “paradigm for providing healthcare”
Roper St. Francis Healthcare will make an unprecedented investment in Lowcountry patients by building a new Roper Hospital Medical Campus in North Charleston.
The campus will occupy 27-acres near Interstates 26 and 526 and be easily accessible for patients living in Berkeley, Charleston or Dorchester counties. The $1 billion project will be one of the largest, most advanced healthcare construction projects on the East Coast and will meet the healthcare needs of one of the fastest growing areas in the country.
“This new medical campus will be a paradigm for providing healthcare, whether that’s complex surgeries in a hospital or an annual checkup in an outpatient office,” said Dr. Jeffrey DiLisi, president and chief executive officer of Roper St. Francis Healthcare. “We made the bold decision one year ago to move Roper Hospital, and I’m grateful to our North Charleston partners for breathing life into this dream. This new campus will ensure our ability to continue delivering the quality care that’s been the hallmark of our brand for generations.”
The new Roper Hospital Medical Campus is expected to include a full-service acute care hospital with a 24-hour Emergency Room. The campus also will have a Medical Office Building where a vast array of outpatient and specialty care will be provided. Roper St. Francis Healthcare has secured six premium real estate parcels off Mall Drive near North Charleston City Hall to build the campus.
In November 2021, Dr. DiLisi announced a roadmap for the next decade for the Lowcountry’s largest healthcare system for adults that centered on caring for more patients, expanding services and modernizing technology to better serve future generations. One of the five key initiatives of that Roper St. Francis Healthcare 2030 plan was optimizing the healthcare system’s footprint in the Lowcountry, which also includes expanding Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital and providing additional healthcare services in highly populated and growing communities.
“We welcome Roper St. Francis Healthcare to the North Charleston hub of economic development,” said North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey. “The new Roper Hospital Medical Campus is the next exciting chapter of this healthcare system’s 167-year legacy, and I am honored that the third largest city in South Carolina can host this tremendous benefit for our citizens.”
This new campus will be the fourth location for Roper Hospital since it opened downtown in 1856 and will be technologically and structurally upgraded to better withstand natural disasters, such as floods, hurricanes and earthquakes.
While construction may take up to five years, Roper St. Francis Healthcare will continue to offer important services on the Charleston peninsula to remain convenient to those in need downtown.
Roper St. Francis Healthcare has long maintained a strong presence in North Charleston, operating the Roper Hospital Diagnostics & ER – Northwoods, along with two Express Care locations and the Greer Transitions Clinic. The health care system delivered a total of 75,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in North Charleston in what Mayor Summey called “the greatest show ever put on” at the North Charleston Coliseum and Performing Arts Center.
RSFH hired E4H Environments for Health Architecture and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) to design the new medical campus. The team will guide health system leaders in a data-driven planning and design process to optimize operations, modernize the facilities and expand patient access to exceptional care. SOM’s healthcare experience includes: a master plan for the Cleveland Clinic Campus in Weston, Fla., including designs for NICI and EDICU buildings; and a master plan for The Christ Hospital and design of its new Joint and Spine Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. SOM is currently building a new cancer care facility for Emory Health in Atlanta, Ga., and Egypt’s New National Cancer Institute in Giza, one of the largest facilities of its kind in the world.
“As a global design practice with a deep bench of expertise in healthcare, SOM is honored to have the opportunity to work with Roper St. Francis at this transformative moment,” said Anthony Treu, principal and healthcare practice leader at SOM. “This new campus will set the stage for generations of community-focused care, elevating the patient experience and creating spaces for medical professionals and staff to do their best work.”