McLeod Health in Florence, S.C., has agreed to operate the former Chesterfield General Hospital in Cheraw, S.C.
Here are eight things to know about the agreement.
1. McLeod Health will take over operations of the former Chesterfield General Hospital, renaming the acute-care hospital as McLeod Health Cheraw.
2. The 59-bed McLeod Cheraw joins five other McLeod Health nonprofit hospitals, serving a 15 county region with advanced heart, vascular, cancer, women's and children’s services.
3. McLeod Cheraw Emergency Services will continue to be led by Gabe Simpson, MD, who is board-certified in emergency medicine.
4. The Newsom physician group of Cheraw Family Medicine will also be supporting the transition.
5. Additionally, McLeod Health has also acquired or opened a number of medical practices in Bennettsville, S.C., to strengthen family-focused health services in this community. These include an existing pediatrics practice, a general surgery practice and an existing primary care practice.
6. "The changing healthcare landscape makes it considerably more difficult for all hospitals, especially those in rural areas, to operate successfully. We believe that this affiliation allows McLeod Health the best way to continue serving the health needs for families in those communities," Rob Colones, president and CEO of McLeod Health, said in a news release.
7. In the future, McLeod plans to look at an operational analysis conducted by a third party to evaluate future opportunities for enhanced medical services at the facilities in Marlboro County. There are considerations for post-acute care, assisted living and a future freestanding Emergency Department and additional primary care, McLeod said.
8. News of the agreement comes months after subsidiaries of Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems divested Chesterfield General Hospital and Marlboro Park Hospital in Bennettsville.