Roper Hospital to move off the Charleston peninsula

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – Roper Hospital announced Wednesday it will move off the Charleston peninsula.

Roper St. Francis Healthcare laid out its strategic plan through 2030 this week, and a focus of that path forward included moving the hospital from its Calhoun Street location.

Leaders say the move would allow patients to “easily access care closer to where they live and work.”

The new building will be the fourth location for Roper Hospital since it opened downtown back in 1856. It will be technologically and structurally upgraded to better withstand natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes.

“A hospital that is 80 years old needs a lot of work to get it up to modern technology and the look of modern hospitals. We want our patients in our community have the best hospital to be taken care of,” says Jeffrey DiLisi, RSFH president and CEO.

“Today, I make this promise that whether you live in downtown Charleston or the farthest reaches of Berkeley, Dorchester and Charleston counties, Roper St. Francis Healthcare will be a short drive away to serve your health care needs,” says DiLisi.

City of Charleston Mayor John Tecklengburg says this move is a needed change and the new location would benefit the future of care for patients, as the community’s population continues to expand.

“They’re strategically trying to cover all parts of the growing metro areas and in the last 50 years that has really spread out,” Mayor Tecklenburg says.

Mayor Tecklenburg says as hard as it is to see Roper Hospital move, he is confident the move will improve the lives of patients in Berkeley, Dorchester and Charleston County.

“We love Roper St. Francis. They have been a tremendous asset to our city and will continue to be. They are going to continue to be an important part of our community,” the mayor says.

While that location has not been announced, Roper St. Francis Healthcare has purchased the former Miller Cadillac property near the corner of Johnnie Dodds Boulevard and Mathis Ferry Road in Mount Pleasant. 

They also plan to expand Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital and the services it provides to meet community needs.

DiLisi says he plans to name a new location for the hospital in the coming weeks.