Roper St. Francis Announces Architect
For New Mount Pleasant Hospital

Following an extensive national search, officials from Roper St. Francis Healthcare (RSFH) today announced the next important step in building a new hospital for Mount Pleasant and surrounding communities East of the Cooper River – the selection of an architectural design firm.

“We’re excited to announce that FreemanWhite based in Charlotte, NC has been selected as our project architects,“ said David L. Dunlap, President and Chief Executive Officer for RSFH. “With expert assistance from one of the nation’s largest and best healthcare design firms, I am confident we are building the hospital of the future.”

Dunlap made today’s announcement from Mount Pleasant Town Hall, where Mayor Harry M. Hallman met with representatives from FreemanWhite and also LS3P, who will be lending assistance as associate architects for the project.

“We are pleased to join Roper St. Francis in bringing a new state-of-the art hospital to the area,” said Franklin Brooks, Chairman, FreemanWhite. “The hospital will offer the best healthcare practices in our nation. Ultimately, area residents and patients will be the real winners.”

At Thursday’s meeting, representatives from FreemanWhite also demonstrated state of the art technology, including advanced computer simulation models and interactive programs, they will be using to help plan and design the hospital.

Roper St. Francis officials say next steps include site planning and the completion of detailed architectural drawings for the new hospital to be followed by a groundbreaking later this year.

The 200,000 sq. ft., $123 million facility will be located on 78 acres of land at the intersection of Highway 17 North and Faison (Airport) Road in the Carolina Park Development adjacent to Wando High School in northern Mount Pleasant.

The new Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital will include:

• 85 inpatient beds
• 24-hour Emergency Care
• Women's Services including high tech, comfortable Labor and Delivery Suites
• Inpatient and Outpatient Surgery
• Intensive and Critical Care Units
• Imaging, Laboratory and Pharmacy

FreemanWhite, Inc. (www.freemanwhite.com) ranks 15th among the nation’s largest healthcare architectural firms (Modern Healthcare, 2006). The firm’s 98 years of healthcare architecture has resulted in more than 300 healthcare projects and hundreds of specialized consulting engagements crossing 48 states nationwide.

Founded in Charlotte, NC in 1892, FreemanWhite is the oldest architectural firm in North Carolina and the tenth oldest in the United States. Within its native state of North Carolina, 43 of the 50 largest hospitals and nearly all of the state’s 100 counties carry the firm’s architectural healthcare signature.

Their clients include Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, TX; Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network, Allentown, PA; Novant Health (including Forsyth Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC and Presbyterian Healthcare, Charlotte, NC); St. Peter's Hospital, Albany, NY; San Antonio Community Hospital, Upland, CA and Self Regional Healthcare in Greenwood, SC.