Expanding Health Care Access: Bluffton
Our Growth Since the Early 2000's
Beaufort Memorial opens Bluffton Medical Services, its first office in southern Beaufort County.
Bluffton Medical Services triples in size to accommodate more physicians, a rehab center, digital mammography and other services.
Bluffton Medical Services grows by another 4,000 square feet.
Beaufort Memorial purchases 20 acres for the Okatie Medical Pavilion.
- January – Beaufort Memorial announces its plan to open a micro-hospital in Bluffton.
- July - Beaufort Memorial’s certificate of need (CON) for a micro-hospital in Bluffton (to be located near the intersection of Fording Island Road and Okatie Highway) is approved by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (now the South Carolina Department of Public Health).
Wetlands issues cause the micro-hospital’s location to change from Okatie Crossing to the corner of Buckwalter and Bluffton parkways.
- September – BMH Care Anywhere telehealth app launches, allowing patients to connect 24/7 with a board-certified provider about minor illnesses and health concerns using their smartphone, tablet or computer.
- October – Several health care organizations opposing Beaufort Memorial's micro-hospital project appeal DHEC's decision to approve the project's CON, delaying the plan for six years in administrative law court.
Beaufort Memorial breaks ground on the Okatie Medical Pavilion.
Okatie Medical Pavilion opens on November 7, 2020.
Gov. Henry McMaster signs bill S. 164 – a certificate of need repeal – eliminating the requirement for most health care facilities to acquire a CON from the state before building a new facility or providing additional medical services. Additional requirements will sunset in 2027. Due to the new legislation, one of Beaufort Memorial’s opposing parties dropped its case against the Bluffton micro-hospital CON. The other did not.
- May – Beaufort Memorial, in partnership with Beaufort County and the Town of Bluffton, announces its plan to address the need for affordable workforce housing and medical office space with the LiveWell Terrace by BMH complex.
- July – Beaufort Memorial closes on property within the May River Crossing neighborhood center at the intersection of Okatie Highway and May River Road. Plans were submitted to the Town for a 5,000 square foot medical office.
- September – Beaufort Memorial withdraws its Bluffton micro-hospital CON from the state, adjusting the Bluffton project to instead be a medical office building with a freestanding emergency room, an ambulatory surgery center and opportunities for future expansion. The new project will be called the Bluffton Community Medical Campus.
Early 2025 - Beaufort Memorial to break ground on the Bluffton Community Medical Campus
Beaufort County is booming, and over the last few decades, Bluffton has seen an exponential increase in its population – and the number of residents seeking the quality care provided by Beaufort Memorial.
Since 2006, Beaufort Memorial has been showing its commitment to Bluffton patients, expanding their access to care as the population has grown.
Frequently Asked Questions
Beaufort County is growing at an exponential rate. Based on the 2023 U.S. Census population estimates, nearly more than 198,000 people call Beaufort County home, a 6.3% increase from 187,000 in 2020. The town of Bluffton saw a 27.1% population increase in that same timeframe. As our community grows, so does the need for more services, including healthcare.
Currently, more than 20% of Beaufort Memorial patients live south of the Broad River and travel to Beaufort to receive their health care from our organization. We are committed to making the high-quality of care they've come to depend on more convenient, while also looking to serve future residents of the area.
More health care options elevates the service and quality of care, benefiting patients and the community. Given the growth that the Bluffton area is experiencing and the projected growth over the next 5-10 years, there will be plenty of demand to warrant new options for inpatient and outpatient care.
A freestanding emergency room is not a hospital-based facility, rather a standalone building, much like an urgent care center. The same functions and quality of care will be performed as they would in our traditional hospital emergency room, but the licensure requirements for the freestanding facility are different than those of a hospital-based unit.
The freestanding emergency room will be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week like the Pratt Emergency Center in Beaufort and will be staffed with board-certified physicians and nursing staff.
Recruiting for providers, medical staff and supporting personnel is an ongoing effort at Beaufort Memorial. In addition to bringing in new hires, personnel from other existing facilities will be transferred both temporarily and permanently to ensure that the new facility is adequately staffed. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply for existing openings and begin their career at an existing Beaufort Memorial facility.
To help position Beaufort Memorial as the region's preferred employer, the organization has implemented employer-subsidized childcare, assistance with affordable housing and several workforce development projects as part of our People Achieving Their Highest (PATH) Program.
The PATH Program provides career pathways and onsite education as a way to develop the excellent clinicians and staff we need while offering upward mobility for employees. The PATH Career Development Center on our Beaufort Campus houses a satellite location for the University of South Carolina Beaufort (USCB) Nursing Program, in addition to providing classrooms and state-of-the-art simulation labs to train current and future Beaufort Memorial care team members.
To introduce future generations of Beaufort Memorial employees, we offer summer Rising Star internships for area high school students and a dual enrollment program in partnership with the Beaufort County School District.
