Here’s what a new Fort Mill hospital means for 911 calls across York County
Atrium Health’s plans for a $450 million hospital and medical office building campus in Fort Mill could bring changes when people call 911 for emergency medical care.
York County contracts with Piedmont Medical Center, to date the only healthcare system operating a hospital in the county, for 911 service.
The county runs the emergency call center while Piedmont staffs ambulances. Piedmont has been the main response unit for more than 40 years, with smaller volunteer or combination outfits in Fort Mill and Lake Wylie.
Yet Atrium already began making inroads this spring with the purchase of Fort Mill EMS, formerly the Fort Mill Rescue Squad. Piedmont officials had unsuccessfully asked York County not to allow that move, and instead give the territory and call volume covered by Fort Mill EMS to Piedmont.
York County sets response areas for its 911 call service. Adding a second hospital system won’t impact the county’s ability to field and respond to emergency calls. The only change for patients in an emergency would be another hospital option, said county spokeswoman Lisa Wolf-Chason. There could, however, be financial implications for the county if response areas or service contracts change.
“It’s too early to know any immediate impacts, but we will continue to follow Atrium’s plans and stand ready to work with any health care provider who plans to come to York County,” Wolf-Chason said.
How 911 response works in York County
Ambulances typically take patients to the closest medical facility that’s able to treat the medical issue. Or, especially in non-critical cases, patients can choose which hospital they use. But in many cases, ambulances affiliated with a hospital system take patients to their partner hospital.
Piedmont has two hospitals in York County.
Its 288-bed Piedmont Medical Center in Rock Hill opened in 1983. Three years ago, Piedmont opened the 100-bed Piedmont Medical Center—Fort Mill at S.C. 160 and U.S. 21. Piedmont also has a separate emergency room on Gold Hill Road.
Atrium’s governing board unanimously approved plans Dec. 2 for a 60-bed hospital in Fort Mill.
Fort Mill EMS, now an Atrium service, took 4,100 emergency calls last year and transported 2,600 patients in York County. Piedmont answered more than 32,000 calls and transported 22,500 patients.
Piedmont was prepared to increase its ambulances and staffing to serve the entire county, Piedmont Medical Center—Fort Mill CEO Chris Mitchell told York County Council in March. York County would become a notable outlier in the state, he said, by allowing an out-of-state provider to run ambulances in the area without its own hospital.
Piedmont officials have not responded to The Herald’s request for comment on Atrium’s new hospital plan.
EMS is the largest department for Piedmont, York County’s third-largest employer. It has 185 of the company’s 2,240 employees or contract workers, company market CEO Teresa Urquhart told York County Council in the spring. Piedmont has 25 ambulances, seven quick-response vehicles and three support vehicles.
The Rock Hill-based hospital system spent more than $3 million in the past three years on ambulances and equipment. Piedmont’s EMS system operated at a $2.2 million loss last year, Urquhart said.
Historically, Piedmont picked up the bill on some costs that would otherwise fall to the county. Along with $7 million in property taxes, Piedmont paid $3.6 million of indigent care tax on the county’s behalf, Urquhart said in March. Piedmont provides inpatient behavioral health services for the county.
Those tax contributions are a separator between the for-profit Piedmont and nonprofit Atrium systems, which wouldn’t be required to pay taxes.
County line impacts on 911 calls
While a second hospital system in York County could create challenges for emergency response, a new Atrium site isn’t as likely to impact Lancaster County.
The Medical University of South Carolina has a hospital in Lancaster and another under construction in Indian Land. The Indian Land hospital is projected to open in early 2028, at least a year before Atrium in Fort Mill.
Unlike York County, Lancaster County operates both its 911 call center and the ambulances that answer those calls. Lancaster County EMS has dozens of paramedics and emergency medical technicians.
Without the new Indian Land hospital, the nearest facilities for emergencies in the high-growth Indian Land panhandle can be in York County or in North Carolina. With the new hospital, it’s less likely that a Fort Mill hospital would be the closest option.
The new Indian Land hospital will allow Lancaster County to keep its ambulances out of the roundtrip traffic to Fort Mill or Charlotte, said MUSC Catawba Division CEO Scott Broome. Quicker trips and routes within the county mean better response times for the next call that comes.
“We want to keep Lancaster County trucks in Lancaster County,” Broome said.
