CHESTER, S.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – The only hospital in Chester County will soon be used to treat inmates.
It’s a partnership between MUSC Health and the South Carolina Department of Corrections that officials say will help the state save money and secure the future of the Chester Medical Center.
SC-DOC had been footing the bill to transport inmates and two officers across South Carolina to see a doctor or get medical care. Now all inmates will come to a secure wing inside a restricted access area of Chester Medical Center on Great Falls Highway.
The first-of-its-kind partnership between the state department of corrections and musc health opened the door for better quality care for state inmates who had previously been shipped all across the state for healthcare.
Janeen Rawlings, director of nursing at MUSC Health Chester Medical Center, says medical teams are getting the facility ready to recover state inmates.
“We will be caring for any kind of medical, surgical, telemetry patient just like you would in any other normal unit,” Rawlings said. “The only difference besides any other unit in the hospital is the security measures that are put in place.”
SC DOC invested $3.3 million to upgrade the facility’s security. Crews added cameras, double locks, and more to keep this specific hospital wing safe.
“There’s not a place in that unit that is not monitored by camera,” Rawlings said. “The department of corrections also has officers that are stationed here specifically for this unit.”
The unit will have beds for 36 inmates. Chester County Sheriff Max Dorsey says his office is working alongside fire and other disaster response teams in the unlikely event of an emergency at the hospital. He says the community will not notice any difference when the inmates arrive at the hospital’s specific wing.
The rest of the hospital will continue operating as usual with the potential for more growth, making Chester Medical Center a permanent fixture in the community.
“It’s a great benefit for our both our county and the community here,” Rawlings said.” It allows us to have more patients, and therefore we get more equipment, we get more physicians, and it helps us grow here in Chester County.”
A spokeswoman from the S.C. Department of Corrections says there are public safety benefits that will help save tax dollars and the community hospital.
The wing at Chester Medical Center will be fully staffed with a team of corrections officers. When an inmate needs medical care, the procedure calls for two officers to escort the inmate to whatever medical facility has an opening. This means those officers are removed from their detention center posts.
SC-DOC will also receive a prescription drug discount through MUSC Health as a part of the Inflation Reduction Act. A spokeswoman says SCDOC will save more than $3.2 million the first year when buying prescription drugs for inmates throughout the state.
Rural hospitals often struggle to stay fully staffed, but the Chester Medical Center will hire more staff under this partnership.
Officials say this facility will create jobs for the community. There will be at least 16 nurse positions added and several security officer positions through the SC-DOC.
Medical teams are working on finishing the wing today to get it ready to receive patients as early as next month.