Charleston, SC – Trident Medical Center executives,physicians, colleagues and community supporters held a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of Phase 1 of a $30 million surgical services expansion. The project is one of many on a list of capital projects totaling nearly $300 million earmarked for Trident Medical Center, Summerville Medical Center and the construction of more Trident Health free standing ERs.
Jeff Wilson, President of Trident Health and Chief Executive Officer of Trident Medical Center, said the ribbon cutting is evidence of the continued trust family’s in the Charleston, SC region have in receiving care at Trident Medical Center. “In the last five years, our surgeons, operating room nurses, anesthesiologists and others who support them have performed more than 50,000 surgeries. It’s because of the work of our surgical services teams, and everyone else who works at a Trident Health facility, we are recognized by Healthgrades as among America’s 250 best hospitals and among America’s 50 best hospitals for surgical care.”
Among the special guests who attended the event was retired anesthesiologist Dr. Robert Blackard. He is a founding member of Trident Medical Center’s medical staff. Noting the growth in the North Charleston region since he helped open the hospital in 1975, “I remember at the time the hospital was being built there wasn’t much more than pine trees in the area.”
Trident Health includes Trident Medical Center, Summerville Medical Center, Live Oak Mental Health & Wellness, Brighton Park Emergency, Centre Pointe Emergency, James Island Emergency and Moncks Corner Medical Center. The health system is scheduled to break ground on a freestanding ER on Johns Island in the upcoming months.
Earlier this year, the health system celebrated the first anniversary of Live Oak Mental Health & Wellness, a 60-bed mental health hospital that provides inpatient and outpatient services for adolescents (age 12+) and adults. Later this year, the health system will celebrate the first anniversary of James Island Emergency and the 10thanniversary of Centre Pointe Emergency.
Last year, nearly 350,000 patients were treated in a Trident Health facility -among them were more than 170,000 patients seeking emergency care and more than 2,700 babies born at the health system’s Summerville Medical Center. The health system also provided more than $50 million in charity and uncompensated care.
The expansion of Trident’s surgical services program includes four new operating rooms and additional patient recovery rooms. The additional surgical space is needed due to the growth in Trident’s specialties, which include general surgery, trauma, heart and vascular, orthopedics, neurosurgery and head and neck cancer.
Brian Evans, who serves as Trident Medical Center’s Vice President of Surgical Services, expressed his thanks to the hospital’s surgeons who’ve shown their loyalty by continuing to entrust their patient’s care to his colleagues. “Ours is a partnership that has served families in the Charleston region well for 49 years. We look forward to a bigger celebration in 2025 when we celebrate our 50th anniversary.”
(l-r) Brian Evans, VP, Surgical Services; Dr. Robert Blackard, founding member of Trident Medical Center's medical staff; David Mizzell, Dir., Surgical Services; and Gino Lobo, Biomedical Technician with 41 years of service at Trident.