Georgetown citizens said Tuesday they are happy that a new hospital expansion is being delayed.

Georgetown Memorial Hospital’s plans to build a new facility have come to a sudden halt because of a faltering local economy.

The hospital had plans to open a new facility on S.C. 701 by next year, but the construction of the building has been delayed since the expected surge in the population hasn’t happened and there is doubt about the end results of health care reform.

“I think our hospital is sufficient,’’ said Diane Kludt. “I’m glad they’re not doing something they can’t afford.’’

“As tight as money is right now, we ought to make do with what we have,’’ said another resident. “It’s like building a new courthouse. It just raises our taxes.”

Meanwhile, the current hospital will continue to operate in a space that was considered in 2006 to be cramped, landlocked and outdated.

“I know that we’re not going to meet our original timeline,” said hospital spokeswoman Ronda Wilson. “We have done a significant amount of planning and design work that you need to do for any type of project.”

Hospital CEO Bruce Bailey could not immediately be reached for comment about the delay in building plans.

Land purchased

The hospital has acquired the land, on the corner of Wedgefield Road and S.C. 701, Wilson said.

The property cost about $3 million and rezoning of the property to handle the new hospital was approved by Georgetown County Council in 2008.

“That’s a disappointment, but not a surprise, given the current situation,’’ said Georgetown County Councilman Jerry Oakley. “I think the added impact of the facility would have been a positive, but hopefully this is just a delay.”

He said an ordinance dealing with rezoning on a planned development gives more time for property that isn’t developed.

“The planning staff does take a look at [the rezoning] after two years,’’ he said. “And if there is some reason to revert it, the staff can do that. But I don’t see a reason to do that here. As long as the hospital says they intend to build there.’’

First reading was given Tuesday night to rezone property for Waccamaw Community Hospital to have space to expand.

Oakley said the hospital hasn’t submitted plans to build on the location, but they are just preparing for the future.

“They are anticipating a need in the future and the need to accommodate services and offices and parking,” he said. “If they want to increase the size of the planned development, they have to go back through the process, and that’s what they’re doing.’’

Thom Berry, spokesman for the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control, said the hospital’s certificate of need expires in February.

Certificates of need must be issued before any new hospital is built. The hospital can apply for at least two extensions, if the development doesn’t begin, he said. A third extension would need approval from the DHEC   board.

Falling economy

Since 2006, when the plans were first announced, the economy has declined in Georgetown County.

The county now has a jobless rate of 13 percent and most of the housing developments that were planned for that time have not been built.

The expected surge in population in Georgetown hasn’t happened, Wilson said.

The hospital system is also waiting on the decision regarding health care reform, Wilson said.

Nationwide, hospital expansion plans have been delayed due to problems with the economy, according to other media sources.

“I think that a number of things have taken place,’’ Wilson said. “When we announced what the scenario was in the world and in our local community, things have changed.”

The delay also curtails the plans to have an open heart surgery unit in place in Georgetown.

The closest place for treatment of serious heart problems is Grand Strand Regional Medical Center.

There is no timeline on when construction on the new hospital will resume, Wilslon said.

“We just don’t have a timeline,” Wilson said. “We’re evaluating all these circumstances and evaluating the scenarios every day. We’ll make a decision at the appropriate time.”

Aging building

According to information released earlier by the hospital, a new facility was needed in Georgetown County four years ago.

“As new technology emerges and new treatment options become available, we must be able to respond by adding new technology and services. We cannot do that in our current location with a 50-year-old physical plant,’’

The current hospital is surrounding by roads and other buildings, and cannot be expanded, according to the Georgetown Memorial Web site. There are traffic problems and parking problems at the current location.

The rooms were built several decades ago, and need to be updated for the best patient care.

“Because of severe space limitations and feasibility of retrofitting existing space, the possible introduction of some new services could be prohibited on the current campus. A newly designed space would be large enough to allow for growth today – and more importantly – in the future.”

By Kelly Marshall Fuller

Kfuller@gtowntimes.com