Latest York County healthcare change includes shifting services for pregnant women
York County’s two hospitals are changing how they serve mothers and newborns, along with patients facing trauma, surgical or cardiovascular conditions.
Piedmont Medical Center will centralize its obstetrics, neonatal, labor and delivery services at its Fort Mill hospital starting May 12. Women’s services have traditionally been based out of the Women’s Tower at Piedmont’s Rock Hill hospital.
The transition will open space in Rock Hill for expanded trauma, surgery, neurosurgery and cardiovascular services. Both hospitals will still have the ability to serve patients for emergencies, but the switch allows each facility a focus for scheduled care.
The 282-bed Piedmont Medical Center Rock Hill opened in 1983. It was York County’s only hospital until the 100-bed Piedmont Medical Center Fort Mill opened four years ago. Piedmont Medical also operates a standalone emergency room on Gold Hill Road that opened in 2020.
The May moves are designed to tailor services for growing communities, Piedmont Medical Center Market CEO Teresa Urquhart said in announcing the changes.
Fort Mill is the fastest-growing city or town in the Charlotte region, and it’s also central between growing communities of Rock Hill, Charlotte, Indian Land and Tega Cay.
Called The Nest, Piedmont’s 10-bed labor and delivery area at the Fort Mill hospital allows women to stay in one room through labor, delivery and recovery.
“By focusing women’s services at our Fort Mill campus, it will enable the moms, babies and families of our region to receive high-quality, personalized care,” said Chris Mitchell, CEO of the Fort Mill hospital.
Hospital changes across the Rock Hill region
The changes at Piedmont come amid significant growth in medical care options for patients in the Rock Hill region.
Charleston-based Medical University of South Carolina plans to open a hospital in Indian Land by early 2028, as part of a $300 missing words, unless they are going super cheap medical complex that also includes a medical office building.
In December, Charlotte-based Atrium Health approved $450 million to build its own Fort Mill hospital. Piedmont has an emergency department set to open this spring in Indian Land.
Piedmont and Atrium each have taken over former volunteer ambulance services in the past year, in support of their existing or planned Fort Mill hospitals.
