2 weeks Ago
KIAWAH ISALND — A decade after discussions started, the health system of Medical University of South Carolina broke ground this week on a new clinic to serve Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns islands. The new facility will serve not only a growing permanent population in those beach communities, but an increasing number of people who are there more often taking advantage of flexible work schedules, a developer said. The MUSC Health Kiawah Partners Pavilion, a 12,056-square-foot facility with a free-standing emergency room, will sit on 3 acres of land at 1865 Seabrook Island Road donated by Kiawah Partners and valued at $6 million.
It is across the street from the original proposed site for the clinic, where MUSC Health ran into problems getting the necessary ingress and egress routes from a neighboring landowner, CEO Patrick Cawley said. MUSC Health moving ahead on hospitals in Summerville and Indian Lands, clinic for Kiawah But the shift actually ended up being "fortuitous" because it brought it into the footprint of the Freshfields Village retail complex, which is also owned by Kiawah Partners, said Chris Randolph, a partner in South Street Partners, which owns the Kiawah developer. That makes it easier to walk to and provides greater access and parking, as well as moving it closer to the Seafields at Kiawah Island community for those age 62 and older that South Street is also developing nearby.
"So it ended up being kind of a silver lining," Randolph said. Kiawah, Seabrook and Johns islands will get much more convenient care with the opening of MUSC Health Kiawah Partners Pavilion. After that initial delay, the parties have closed on the land and "we got the contractors in there pretty quick," Cawley said.
It will take 12 to 15 months to build, but the hope is to finish by the end of 2025 at the latest, he said. Having round-the-clock emergency care available to those communities will be huge, Cawley said. It is becoming increasingly apparent that, in the event of a major problem like trauma, stroke or a heart attack, getting to the right care quickly is most important, Cawley said.
Today's Top Headlines Story continues below How did 14 of the world’s deadliest snakes end up in a South Carolina neighborhood? North Myrtle Beach's Alligator Adventure offers $6.25M to settle lawsuit over tourist's death South Carolina's Freddie Owens killed by lethal injection, first execution in 13 years Freddie Eugene Owens executed by lethal injection in South Carolina Adrift in the ocean for 7 hours, man's rescue leads to search for stranded wife Invasive animals plague South Carolina. Here are the worst you've probably seen.
How a Beaufort family found a genie lamp in Spartanburg with wishes worth up to $1.2M 'I got that ..
. on video': SC man recovering after being bitten by world's most venomous snake Commentary: I'm tired of being called a book banner — and of our loss of common sense TGI Fridays says thanks as it exits the Charleston market on a Tuesday "There's a lot that can be done in that first hour by that free-standing ER," he said. The clinic will also allow residents to see doctors and specialists without a long drive through increasing traffic to reach Charleston, Cawley said.
Trident to build new ER on Johns Island ahead of hospital Access to emergency medical care has been a topic of conversation for many Kiawah residents and those looking to move there, and it is what prompted South Street to seek out MUSC, Randolph said. Many want to be able to age in place safely, but "it's not just the baby boomers," he said. "It's also young families and all the above, just because it's obviously top of mind, and it's one of the boxes that many people look to check when they're looking for a second home or a vacation home.
" Options for health and wellness expanding across the Charleston area Kiawah has seen a boom in population post-COVID, as well as a shift in how often its homeowners are there. Traditionally, it has been an 80/20 split between people who use it as a second/vacation home and those who live there year-round but now it is closer to a 70-30 split, he said. And those with vacation homes are using them more often, particularly as it has become easier to work remotely and work schedules have become more flexible.
What would have been a weekend trip before might start earlier and end later. "It's a lot easier to justify a flight or a long drive when you know you can be there Friday through Monday as opposed to Saturday and Sunday," Randolph said..
