UNION COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – A new medical facility will bring more access to healthcare to the residents of Union County.
The current Union Medical Center is almost 70 years old. Officials with the hospital said building a new one has been years in the making.
The new hospital will provide more medical care to all of the residents in the county and give more efficient space so the staff can work.
Union Medical Center has been providing care to the area for 100 years, but their current building isn’t up to current standards.
“It’s very old infrastructure, it’s a very inefficient building,” said Paul Newhouse.
Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System just revealed a $55 million plan to build a replacement facility.
“It’s outstanding that we can now provide healthcare, in our community, for many years to come,” said Newhouse. “You know, in a very old building, you don’t know how long it’s going to be around.”
Paul Newhouse, President of Union Medical Center, said the new hospital will be located on Furman L Fendley Highway, but will provide all the same services.
“We do have a few new things, all at one location, we’re going to have the Gibbs Cancer Center infusion center there,” he said.
In this new hospital, all their physicians will be in the same building. Right now, Dr. Natashia Jeter, who is an OB-GYN, is across the street.
“The new building and new facility, I feel like, will just give us an opportunity to ensure better trust,” said Dr. Jeter. “I think it will give more services and may even give an opportunity for more specialties.”
She has been with the medical center for 11 years.
“To see this finally come to fruition, it just really excites me, for my own family and the community. I think it’s bigger than just healthcare,” she said.
She said having a new facility in the works is a win-win for everyone.
“Having the capability to have access to even more specialty services, admin will be there. It will just help me to do my job easier,” said Dr. Jeter.
Newhouse said one of their goals is to save patients’ time.
“We’re very busy in our emergency department, so, we’ve got a fast-track area, we’ve got some results waiting area,” he said. “So, we think that we can move patients a little more efficiently than we do currently.”
They will also be providing more rehab services.
The new location will help reduce how often patients have to travel to other counties to get care.
“For specialist services, they will still be traveling to Spartanburg Medical Center. Primarily, we will have a more robust system for telemedicine, for specialist services,” said Newhouse.
Newhouse said they plan to have the new hospital ready, with their doors open and providing care, in early 2025. They will start clearing trees in the next couple of weeks.
