500 Medical Jobs Coming to Greenville, SC

Bon Secours St. Francis Health System in Greenville, South Carolina plans to open a new hospital that will bring 500 medical jobs to the state.

The hospital, designed as a four-floor, 230,000 square-foot facility, will be located on a 20-acre site at the Millennium Campus, across from the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research.

The $151 million hospital will be the third for the St. Francis Health System, as the region’s growth has tapped out space at both St. Francis Downtown and St. Francis Eastside hospitals.

"The city is growing so fast, we're filled in both hospitals," said St. Francis CEO Valinda Rutledge. "We need the beds."

The hospital’s focus will highlight holistic healing while encouraging sustainable design – from parking spaces with outlets for electric cars and bar coding of medications to healing gardens, a sundial plaza, and an indoor rain wall. Research has shown that healing environments, including the use of water and color, positively impacts a patient’s experience and cuts hospital stays.

"We want people to feel that sense of spirituality and healing -- not just taking care of your body, but taking care of your mind, body and spirit," Rutledge said.

The project is awaiting approval by the state Department of Health and Environmental Control, a process that could take up to eight months. Construction is expected to begin in 2010 and be complete by 2012. Founded in 1932, St. Francis is a private, non-profit hospital with over 2,100 employees.