The Lowcountry is blessed to have an amazing abundance of excellent medical facilities.
Charleston is not a major city, size-wise. That’s part of its charm, since the Holy City still has that polite, small town feel. It permeates the whole area... the Isle of Palms, Mount Pleasant, Sullivan’s Island, Folly Beach, West Ashley, etc.
I’ve lived in several places in my life, including a couple cities in Europe. I’ve never seen anywhere with such a huge variety of top-notch hospitals, doctors, emergency rooms, medical offices and urgent care facilities - all within close proximity, and all serving a relatively small number of people - as right here in the Lowcountry. It’s pretty incredible. And they continue to build more.
This is a very good place to receive quality medical care.
I can give a very recent, very personal testimony to confirm this.
A recent case in point...
As a dear friend of ours loves to say, “Life can turn on a dime.” Well, last Saturday night was one of those times.
My husband and I had just finished up a whirlwind of a week - a wedding, a funeral, and three charity fundraisers, two of which we were involved with hosting. Beyond exhausted, we were about to turn in for the night. Ironically, I was watching an episode of 9-1-1: Nashville.
All of a sudden, my husband said he wasn’t feeling right. At first I thought he might be dehydrated, since he hadn’t been drinking much water. So I fixed him juice and some green tea, and that seemed to help a bit.
But his vision was weird, he was seeing double and not able to focus. He got up to stand and had no balance, almost toppled over had he not grabbed onto some furniture. His speech was starting to slur, like he had a thick tongue. His left eye started to droop. Something was terribly wrong and getting worse by the minute. I Googled the symptoms, and this is what popped up…
He could be having a stroke.
Called 9-1-1. IOP to the Rescue!
I called 911 - for the first time ever - and within a couple minutes, a whole bunch of terrific IOP police officers, firemen and EMT were in our house rendering aid. They rushed my husband to MUSC’s Emergency Room in downtown Charleston, where they ran CT scans and confirmed he was in fact having a stroke – the ischemic kind that involves a blockage.
Immediately they began administering the miracle drug for that kind of stroke, TNK. There’s a small window of about 4.5 hours to give it, to prevent permanent brain damage, disability or even death. Thankfully, he was within that window.
It was a very long night, but by morning, he was getting back to his wonderful self. It was amazing. Over the next couple days he received fantastic care in the neuro unit of the hospital by countless doctors, nurses and therapists. We were so impressed by the kindness and capability of the staff there.
Thanks to these wonderful and highly skilled people, my husband is doing very well and getting better by the day.
BE FAST!
This is the graphic that convinced me to call 911. If you notice any of these symptoms in yourself or someone else, PLEASE CALL 911. It may save a life. Every minute counts!
Nearby Hospitals, Emergency Rooms & Urgent Care…
If you’re headed here to stay in one of our Isle of Palms rentals, it’s reassuring to know there’s such excellent medical care available should anything happen.
Whether it’s kids being kids, allergic reactions, older family members needing care, someone having a stroke or heart attack, or just life stuff that can happen to any of us at any time - it’s a comfort knowing help is nearby.
Mount Pleasant -
- Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital, across the Isle of Palms Connector and up Highway 17 North, it’s located right in front of Costco. It has a 24/7 Emergency Room, full service imaging, lab, ICU, orthopedics, etc. and helipad. Address: 3500 North Highway 17, Mount Pleasant, 29466.
- Novant Health East Cooper Medical Center, it’s the large hospital you see as you come into Mount Pleasant via I-526. They have a 24/7 ER, heart & vascular, orthopedics, maternity, surgery, helipad. Located at 2000 Hospital Drive in Mount Pleasant, 29464.
- MEDcare Urgent Care Mount Pleasant– located at 2863 North Highway 17, across from Highway 41. It’s open from 8:00 a.m. till 8:00 p.m. seven days a week, and walk-ins are welcome.
Downtown Charleston -
- MUSC Health University Medical Center (MUSC Downtown/Main Campus), located on the downtown peninsula, along Calhoun Street and the Ashley River, at 171 Ashley Avenue. A medical school, MUSC is comprised of four hospitals at this location - including the state-of-the-art Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital, Ashley River Tower, University Hospital and the Institute of Psychiatry, as well as the NCI-designated Hollings Cancer Center. It’s the only solid organ transplant center in South Carolina, and a Level 1 Trauma Center.
- Roper Hospital Downtown at 316 Calhoun Street, right next door to MUSC. It’s the original Roper Hospital, founded in 1829. It, too, has a full-service 24/7 Emergency Room, operating rooms, orthopedic, heart & vascular center, cancer care, neurosurgery, etc. plus a helipad. Roper recently announced they’re building a new $1.2 billion hospital in North Charleston to replace this original downtown location. It’s set to open in 2029.
Charleston & North Charleston -
- Bon Secours St Francis Hospital, part of Roper St. Francis Healthcare, a large full service hospital located in Charleston on the other side of the peninsula. It has a 24/7 Emergency Room, full service imaging, orthopedic surgery, critical care ground and air transport. Address: 2095 Henry Tecklenburg Drive, Charleston, 29414.
- HCA Healthcare Trident Hospital, it’s a major medical center in North Charleston with 24 hour ER, Level II Trauma Center, heart center, robotic surgery center and outpatient burn center. Address: 9330 Medical Plaza Drive, North Charleston, 29406.
IOP First Responders
No matter which one of our Isle of Palms luxury homes you’re in, help is nearby. There are highly trained first responders who can reach you quickly. Here on the IOP, the average response time is less than three minutes.
They are fantastic people, angels among us, and we are so deeply grateful for their crucial service to our community.
The Isle of Palms Public Safety Building is located at 30 J. C. Long Boulevard, right near our Exclusive Properties’ office. It houses the IOP Police Department and Fire Department #1. Fire Department #2 is located at 44 Forty-first Avenue, near the IOP Marina.
In any emergency, dial 911. I am so very glad I did.
So stay safe, and BE FAST at the first sign of a possible stroke. Dial 911 in case of any emergency you might have, either here in a Charleston beach house, or wherever you might be. And contact us when you’d like to stay in a place where good health care is just a call away.
All best,
Lowcountry Lisa
your Isle of Palms vacation blogger
(photo credit of Public Safety Building by Mashburn Construction)