On February 15, Providence Health, part of LifePoint Health, broke ground on a new emergency room in Winnsboro. Community leaders, elected officials, healthcare providers, and hospital supporters gathered to watch the first dig marking the beginning of construction for the facility, which will help ensure the continuation of access to high quality care in Fairfield County.

“We are proud to collaborate with Fairfield Memorial Hospital and Fairfield County to preserve critical access to emergency care for residents of this community,” said Scott Campbell, market CEO of Providence Health. “This new facility will help transform the delivery of local healthcare services to a sustainable model that better meets the needs of this region. Moments like this demonstrate Providence Health’s mission in action: Making Communities Healthier by Extending Christ’s Healing Ministry.”

The one-level, 18,000-square-foot building, which will be named the “Providence Health–Fairfield Emergency Room,” will dedicate 12,000 square feet to emergency services and include 6,000 additional square feet of space for future expansion. Plans for the facility include: six exam rooms (including four treatment rooms and two for future expansion), two trauma rooms, an onsite laboratory, and imaging services such as CT scan, ultrasound, and x-ray.

“It is exciting to see how our partnership with Providence Health is opening new doors and providing new opportunities to enhance care in our community,” said Suzanne Doscher, CEO of Fairfield Memorial Hospital. “Today, we are beginning a new chapter in our hospital’s long legacy of providing quality care, and we look forward to a bright future as part of Providence Health.”

Reflective of the Catholic heritage of Columbia’s Providence Health System, the ceremony was opened in prayer by Father C. Alexander “Sandy” McDonald, an appointed guest of the Most Reverend Robert E. Guglielmone, Bishop of Charleston. Before the dig, the land was blessed with holy water.

“The significance of this event cannot be understated. This new, state-of-the-art facility will help keep care close to home for our neighbors, especially in emergency situations when every minute matters,” said Fairfield County Council Chair Billy Smith. “We are grateful for the partnership of Providence and LifePoint to improve the health and vitality of our community.”

The Providence Health–Fairfield Emergency Room was designed by HMK Architects PLLC and will be constructed by HOOD Construction Company, Inc. The project was initiated in 2016, following the announcement of the closure of services at Fairfield Memorial Hospital.

“It’s an honor for LifePoint to be here and celebrate this milestone with the leaders and residents of Fairfield County and the surrounding region,” said Victor Giovanetti, president of LifePoint Health’s Eastern Group, of which Providence Health is a part. “Collaboration like this – between communities, hospitals and providers – propels healthcare forward. We are proud to invest in high quality emergency services for Winnsboro and surrounding areas, and are pleased to see our mission come to life in such a meaningful way.”

Located at 1810 US Hwy 321 S, Winnsboro, SC 29180, the Providence Health–Fairfield Emergency Room will be easily accessible to residents of the region. It is approximately 20 miles away from Providence Health’s Northeast hospital campus, where patients needing more intensive care can be transported. The facility is expected to open in the fall of 2018.