Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina received approval from the state health department to build a $325 million hospital in Berkeley County.
The 311,221-square-foot facility, dubbed MUSC Health Community Hospital at Nexton, will have 128 beds and provide inpatient and outpatient services.
"The Nexton hospital will be a much-needed addition to our healthcare system," said MUSC President David Cole, MD. "Our network of MUSC hospitals, clinics and other care facilities is positioned to provide patients with the right care, at the right time and in the right location."
Construction is slated to begin later this year. The hospital is expected to open in 2022.
Certificate of Need approval was granted by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control.
Four health systems — including Trident Health and Roper St. Francis, both based in Charleston, as well as The Regional Medical Center of Orangeburg and Calhoun Counties, a public hospital system, and Colleton Medical Center based in Walterboro, S.C. — already have voiced their opposition to the project, according to The Post and Courier. Trident Health and Roper St. Francis have obtained certificate of need approvals from the state to build facilities in Berkeley County.