Goose Creek Council Supports Local Hospital

Goose Creek City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to support both of the proposed hospitals in Berkeley County: the Roper St. Francis Healthcare facility at Carnes Crossing and the Trident Health System expansion in Moncks Corner.

The two organizations since 2009 over the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control's approval of both 50-bed hospitals.

Trident has argued the county's population can't sustain two sites. And, while Roper supports both hospitals, it has of its nearby Summerville facility.

Last month, the mayors of Bonneau, Jamestown, Moncks Corner and St. Stephen signed a petition supporting the Trident hospital, which would primarily serve their communities, while opposing the Roper facility that would focus on growing communities in the Goose Creek area.

On Tuesday, Goose Creek City Council asked why Berkeley County can't have both hospitals. "We're saying we'd like to have one in Goose Creek, too," Mayor Michael Heitzler said.

In approving the resoulation, the council cited the state's support for both hospitals and noted the fact that fast-growing Berkeley is one of only five counties in the state without a hospital.

The resolution states that the mayor and the council "urge the early resolution of any and all disputes, and urges all parties to move expediently toward the realization of the needed hospital facilities to provide for the long-term health care and economic vitality of all Berkeley County citizens."