CAROLINA FOREST, SC — Residents in one of South Carolina’s fastest-growing unincorporated communities gained immediate access to localized acute medical care Monday morning as the new McLeod Health Carolina Forest Hospital officially opened its doors at 7:00 a.m. on October 26.
Located at 101 McLeod Health Blvd. near the intersection of Highway 31 and International Drive, the four-story, 48-bed facility marks a major expansion for the 43-acre medical campus. The broader campus investment totals $90 million, with $56 million specifically dedicated to the construction of the new acute care inpatient tower.
The opening represents the first new hospital constructed in Horry County since 2011, when McLeod Health Seacoast opened in Little River. Over the past decade, Horry County’s population surged significantly, driven heavily by residential development along the Grand Strand and in Carolina Forest, where more than 50,000 residents previously lacked a dedicated inpatient hospital within their immediate master-planned community.
Prior to Monday’s opening, the Carolina Forest campus offered freestanding emergency care, primary care offices, specialty practices, and outpatient diagnostic imaging. However, patients who presented to the emergency room and required overnight hospitalization had to be transported via ambulance to outside facilities in Myrtle Beach, Conway, or Little River, putting added strain on regional emergency medical service resources and extending transport times during peak traffic hours.
The new facility integrates 48 private inpatient beds equipped for acute medical and surgical care directly with the existing 24/7 Emergency Department. The expansion also broadens local access to advanced diagnostic imaging, including 3D mammography, computed tomography (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, nuclear medicine, and laboratory services.
Operating as part of McLeod Health, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) regional healthcare system governed by a local volunteer board of trustees, the acute care hospital is open to the general public, accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and major commercial insurance providers, and provides emergency medical treatment in compliance with federal guidelines.
Healthcare officials estimate the expansion will add roughly 75 new clinical and support jobs to the local workforce while expanding specialized outpatient therapy offerings, including physical, occupational, speech, and pediatric rehabilitation services on campus.
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