Editor’s note: The following commentary was penned by Megan Baker, M.D., Chief Clinical Officer, Roper St. Francis Healthcare and Mark Alexander Scheurer, M.D., Chief, Children’s and Women’s, MUSC for The Post and Courier.
As the Lowcountry continues to grow, so does the need for greater access to high-quality pediatric care. To meet this need, Roper St. Francis Healthcare and MUSC are joining forces to open a 10,000-square-foot Children’s Health Unit in West Ashley, marking a transformative step forward for families raising children and the future of health care in our region.
This collaboration, the first of its kind for children’s inpatient care in South Carolina, reflects a milestone in how leading health care institutions can work together to meet community needs. For over 150 years, MUSC and Roper St. Francis have shared a commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality care to Charleston families. When Roper Hospital opened in 1856, it served as the primary teaching hospital for the Medical College of South Carolina – now known as MUSC – laying the foundation for a partnership that helped to shape health care education and care delivery in the Lowcountry.
Today, MUSC Children’s Health brings its nationally recognized expertise in pediatric care to this new unit, reinforcing its mission to serve the youngest and most vulnerable patients across South Carolina. Slated to open in the new year at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital, the unit will offer 16 private rooms and a playroom to foster healing, comfort and connection.
More than a new space, this collaboration symbolizes a shared promise to grow alongside our community and strengthen the future of children’s health in the Lowcountry. As physicians and community members, we recognize that this partnership could not have come at a better time.The new Children’s unit directly addresses our region’s growing need, offering a vital resource for families. This is more than meeting today’s current demand; it’s about building a high-quality health care infrastructure that our community will rely on for generations. In collaboration with MUSC Children’s Health specialists, Roper St. Francis Healthcare will treat lower-acuity conditions in-house, reducing the need for transfers to MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital and ensuring a seamless care experience. Families will benefit from staying together during critical moments.
Importantly, we want families to feel confident in the exceptional quality of care their children will receive at the new Children’s Unit. MUSC pediatric hospitalists will work side-by-side with Roper St. Francis Healthcare pediatric nurses, certified in pediatric advanced life support (PALS) and rapid response. Their work will further be supported by an MUSC Child Life specialist, dedicated to creating a healing environment tailored to children’s unique needs at the Children’s Unit at Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital.
This collaboration truly unites the strengths of both organizations, including Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s commitment to community-based care and MUSC’s deep bench of pediatric expertise, in a shared, unwavering commitment to the health and wellbeing of our children. We are proud to embark on this new chapter together and look forward to serving Lowcountry families with excellence, compassion and innovation.
Co-Authors:
Megan Baker, M.D., Chief Clinical Officer, Roper St. Francis Healthcare
Mark Alexander Scheurer, M.D., Chief, Children’s and Women’s, MUSC