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BLUFFTON, S.C. –Novant Health is expanding access to emergency care in the Lowcountry with the opening of the new freestanding Novant Health Bluffton Emergency Department.

The emergency department opening marks the completion of the first phase ofNovant Health Washington Square Medical Park, a new healthcare campus designed to meet the growing needs of the Bluffton community.

Conveniently located just off Buckwalter Parkway at 8 Parkside Drive, Novant Health Bluffton Emergency Department is now seeing patients. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the facility provides the same level of emergency evaluation and treatment as a hospital-based emergency department in a convenient location to serve the Bluffton community.

“When an emergency happens, every minute matters,” said Dr. Erica McEnery, medical director for emergency services for Novant Health Hilton Head Medical Center. “This facility allows patients to receive expert emergency care where they live, with advanced diagnostics and experienced emergency medicine teams available around the clock.”

The 10,000-square-foot facility features 10 treatment rooms, including a dedicated trauma room, and offers a full range of advanced onsite diagnostic services. The emergency department is staffed by board-certified emergency medicine physicians, experienced nurses and support staff. The facility is equipped to stabilize and treat a wide range of medical conditions as well as coordinate transport to a hospital when additional specialized care is needed.

A medical office building, currently under construction on the campus, will further expand access to outpatient and specialty care services in the future.

“This investment reflects our continued commitment to bringing remarkable care closer to where people live and work,” said Joel Taylor, president of the Hilton Head area for Novant Health. “Bluffton is one of the fastest-growing communities in South Carolina, and Novant Health is proud to make long-term investments that ensure families have access to convenient, high-quality healthcare for generations to come.”

The services offered at Novant Health Washington Square Medical Park are part of Novant Health’s broader commitment to expand care across the Lowcountry, complementing its existing network of hospitals, physician clinics and outpatient services. Nearby, Novant Health Buckwalter Place Medical Parkrecently opened and includes primary care, orthopedic services and an imaging center.

Novant Health continues to invest in South Carolina to meet rising demand and ensure patients have access to high-quality, convenient care options across the region.

BLUFFTON, S.C. —

Novant Health has opened a new freestanding emergency department in Bluffton, giving residents in one of the Lowcountry’s fast-growing communities another option for around-the-clock care.

The new facility, located on Parkside Drive off Buckwalter Parkway, officially opens Tuesday, July 21st, at 9 a.m. A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on Monday. It is Novant Health’s second emergency department in Bluffton, the first being Tidewatch.

The 10,000-square-foot facility includes 10 treatment rooms, a trauma room and diagnostic services. Novant leaders say it is designed to treat and stabilize patients on site, with transport to a hospital arranged if more specialized care is needed.

“As we look at the needs of the community, the growth in this community, one of our first investments as being part of Novant Health was in access to emergency room care,” said Joel Taylor, president of Novant Health Hilton Head area. “It’s an immediate response to the growth in residential units, residential homes here in Bluffton.”

Taylor said many patients who come to the emergency department do not need surgery or admission, but instead need treatment and follow-up care.

“The objective is to be in and out of this facility in 90 minutes,” he said.

Bluffton Mayor Larry Toomer said emergency care has been one of the top concerns voiced by residents.

“I like to lead by listening to the residents of the town,” Toomer said. “Medical facilities are way up on everyone’s wish list, so if it takes two minutes to get here instead of ten minutes to get here, it could be life or death.”

Medical Director Dr. Erica McEnery said the new facility is intended to bring care closer to home as the region continues to grow.

“With such an increasing growth here locally and in the Lowcountry, just having the ability to offer care within several minutes, closer to folks’ home, is very important,” McEnery said.

Novant also plans to open an attached medical office building later this year with cardiology, primary care and other specialties.

The new emergency department is now open to patients.

Novant Health opened a new, 10,000 square-foot medical facility in Bluffton Tuesday.

It’s the latest expansion for the healthcare provider as it competes with Beaufort Memorial Hospital to fulfill growing demand for health services in Beaufort County. Beaufort Memorial has its own expansion projects, including a hospital in Bluffton.

Here’s what you need to know about the new facility:

Bluffton Emergency Department

Novant Health broke ground on the facility in April 2025. It’s called the Novant Health Bluffton , and it has 10 treatment rooms, a trauma room, and diagnostic services such as X-rays and CT scans.

It will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and have a full-time staff, according to previous Island Packet . It’s the second emergency department in Bluffton operated by Novant Health, and the first is on Tidewatch Drive off of state highway 170.

The new emergency department is located off of Buckwalter Parkway at 8 Parkside Drive. Novant Health also opened at Buckwalter Place in May, just a short drive away from the emergency department. The clinics and imaging center are part of Novant Health’s Buckwalter Medical Park.

Novant Health’s expansions

Novant Health operates dozens of healthcare facilities in Beaufort County. It first entered the area when Hilton Head Medical Center and Coastal Carolina Medical Center both joined the Novant Health system in 2024 through a $2.4 billion deal with Tenet Healthcare Corporation.

Novant Health purchased 4.5 acres of land off of William Hilton Parkway for a 25,000-square-foot medical office building in May. The building will contain primary care, physical therapy and urology services, as well as 15,000 square feet of medical office space.

Novant Health also plans to build a 194,500 square foot, 50-bed in Bluffton by 2028, to be named Novant Health Bluffton Medical Center, according to previous Island Packet reporting. The hospital will be off of Buckwalter Parkway, cost $320 million, and will bring 1,000 new jobs to Bluffton.

Beaufort Memorial is also expanding into Bluffton. It’s constructing the at the corner of Bluffton Parkway and Buckwalter Parkway, and the hospital will open in 2027, according to its website.