A partnership with Greenville County, S.C., has allowed Prisma Health to reopen the emergency department at North Greenville Hospital in Travelers Rest, S.C., which closed in 2020 to care for COVID-19 patients.
The reopening was supported through the county's approval of $13.49 million in one-time federal COVID-19 relief funds, the health system said in a news release. The ED was being used as a COVID-19 unit shortly after the start of the pandemic and was later turned into a walk-in primary care center.
"This major investment by the County in the Prisma Health North Greenville Hospital Emergency Department ensures that residents will have convenient access to 24/7 emergency department care," said Dan Tripp, chair of the Greenville County Council.
In September, Greenville County approved the one-time designation of COVID-19 funding for Prisma Health to restore ED services on the promise it would remain open for at least seven years, according to a report from The Post and Courier.
The 24/7 emergency department reopened with several updates, including new medical equipment, eight patient treatment rooms and a critical care trauma room. The walk-in primary care space will reopen in a larger space on the hospital's campus this spring.