Nationwide, more than 100 rural hospitals have closed in the past decade. In South Carolina, six have shut their doors in recent years.
But in the rural community of Cades, South Carolina, located in Williamsburg County, a brand new community hospital opened its doors in 2023. MUSC Health Black River Medical Center is a full service acute care hospital that offers services that were not previously available in the area such as 3D mammography, MRI machines and a wide variety of specialized care through telehealth services.
MUSC Health Black River Medical Center exists today because two nearby community hospitals closed. Lake City Community Hospital, about 10 minutes from Cades and Williamsburg Regional Hospital in Kingstree, about 15 minutes away closed their doors after struggling with flood-damaged facilities and financial troubles. Many of the employees from those two hospitals now work at Black River Medical Center. The new facility was designed to serve both communities according to Allen Abernethy, executive director of MUSC Health Black River Medical Center.
“I think both communities have really stood by this hospital and supported it and it’s because of the care team that’s here, the vast majority of folks live here in this community and they take care of their friends and neighbors,” Abernethy said. “It’s more than a billboard here- it’s a reality.”
The innovative, state of the art technology available at Black River Medical Center makes it possible for patients to access a range of telehealth services including tele-stroke, tele-infectious disease, tele-psychiatry, tele–palliative care and others that would otherwise not be available locally.
“The possibilities are really endless - we’re on the cusp of telehealth,” Abernethy said. “The idea is to get all of the specialities and of the minds and the resources that MUSC has across the state available to a rural community.”
