James Island Emergency architectural rendering. Trident Health's James Island Emergency is scheduled to open in the Spring 2023.

Trident Medical Center breaks ground on James Island freestanding emergency room.
Hospital invests in expanding access to care to underserved communities.

North Charleston, SC – Trident Medical Center broke ground on a new freestanding ER on James Island on Monday, May 2, 2022. The emergency medical facility will be located at 945 Folly Road, Charleston, SC 29412. The 11-bed nearly 13,000 square foot facility is expected to open in April 2023. Emergency medical services will be available 24/7.

For Trident Health President and CEO Christina Oh the project marks a new chapter in the health system’s nearly 50-year presence in the Lowcountry. “We are committed to expanding services to our underserved communities. The research indicates the further away Lowcountry families are from medical care the more they are at risk for poor health outcomes. Our new James Island freestanding ER will provide residents of James and Johns Island and their neighbors access to board-certified emergency physicians who are part of a Trident Health team that provided emergency care to more than 150,000 Lowcountry patients last year.”

Trident Health currently includes two acute care hospitals, 321-bed Trident Medical Center and 124-bed Summerville Medical Center, and three freestanding ERs, Brighton Park Emergency, Centre Pointe Emergency and Moncks Corner Medical Center. Healthgrades, a national healthcare quality ratings agency, has named both Trident Health hospitals among its 250 Best Hospitals in America ranking and recipients of its Patient Safety Excellence Award™ for 2022. The health system is also building a new 60-bed freestanding behavioral health hospital. When completed in April 2023 it will be the first of its kind in the Lowcountry in more than 30 years.

Trident Medical Center’s Medical Director of Emergency Services Scott Hayes, MD sees firsthand the results of delayed emergency care. “For residents who live far from emergency medical care and who may be experiencing a medical emergency like a heart attack or stroke, minutes can mean the difference between life and death. Access to care close to home is critical, especially in areas that have frequent traffic delays.” Dr. Hayes added, “All of Trident’s ER physicians are board certified in emergency medicine.”

Cerebrovascular/Endovascular Neurosurgeon Sharon Webb, MD is a member of the South Carolina Stroke Advisory Council and a member of Trident Health’s medical staff. She practices at Trident Neurosurgical Associates. She says, “For a stroke, time is brain. The quicker treatment is started the more brain function is preserved. For patients who come to any of our freestanding ERs they’ll have access to teleneurology, stroke-specific medication and advanced imaging like CT that will help us quickly diagnose the symptoms.”

Karen Norwood, MSN, RN, who is the immediate past president of the Lowcountry Chapter of the Emergency Nurses Association, will add James Island Emergency to her current role as Director of Emergency Services for Trident Medical Center, Centre Pointe Emergency and Moncks Corner Medical Center. She says she and her team of more than 100 nurses and clinicians are experienced in providing bedside care to patients needing emergency treatment. “ER nurses and clinicians come to their shifts with a unique skill set. We understand we may need to transition in a moment’s notice from a patient who’s injured themselves at home or at one of the many Lowcountry events to a patient having a heart attack. But, above all else, they know their patients want to be reassured they are in good hands. And, they are.”

James Island Emergency will include 11 patient rooms, which include a designated trauma room; in-house diagnostic labs; and advanced imaging and stroke and behavioral health telemedicine services. Board certified emergency physicians and specially trained nurses and other clinicians will provide care to adults and children with access to advanced procedural and inpatient care.