17,000-square-foot primary care facility designed to grow alongside the community
By: Tracy Sanders, Publisher
tracy@thewoodrufftimes.com
WOODRUFF — A project years in the making officially became a reality last week as Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System celebrated the opening of the new Medical Group of the Carolinas facility in Woodruff.
Community leaders, healthcare representatives, staff and guests gathered for a ribbon-cutting ceremony before touring the new building, which Medical Group leaders say was designed not only to meet Woodruff’s healthcare needs today, but also to expand as the community continues to grow.
Sarah Beth Hammond, senior vice president of Medical Group of the Carolinas Operations, said planning for the project began several years ago as healthcare leaders considered what Woodruff would need as residential and commercial growth continued.
“From the very beginning of this project, back in 2021, when Elizabeth Fletcher and I came out and met with Lee Bailey, we started talking about what can we do out here and what could we do that was best for the city of Woodruff and for our patients and for the physicians and providers who work here,” Hammond told those gathered for the ceremony.
The project reached the groundbreaking stage a little more than a year ago. Standing outside the completed facility before the ribbon was cut, Hammond called the opening an exciting milestone for Medical Group of the Carolinas, Spartanburg Regional and the City of Woodruff.
The new facility encompasses more than 17,000 square feet and includes 30 examination rooms, a procedure room, extensive laboratory capabilities and digital X-ray services.
But one of the building’s most important features may be what has not yet been built.
The facility was designed from the beginning to allow a second floor to be added in the future. An elevator shaft is already incorporated into the structure so the building can expand vertically as demand for healthcare services increases.
“As the community continues to seek health care services and our patients grow, then we have the ability to grow with it,” Hammond said.
The first floor also provides room for significant growth in the number of medical providers working from the location.
During a tour following the ceremony, Hammond said the office currently has three physicians and one physician assistant. The existing first-floor space can eventually accommodate as many as 10 providers, allowing Medical Group of the Carolinas to add physicians and other providers as patient demand increases.
The practice is accepting new patients.
Although some residents questioned whether the new facility would operate as an urgent care center, Hammond clarified that it is a primary care practice rather than an urgent walk-in clinic.
“It’s not an urgent walk-in, but if someone is looking to establish for a primary care physician, they just need to stop in and we can get them established right away,” Hammond said, adding that the practice expects patients will be able to get established and seen relatively easily.
The expanded laboratory is another significant addition.
Staff members explained during the tour that testing available at the office will include CBCs, urinalysis, A1C testing and COVID and flu testing. The facility also includes a separate area for blood draws and laboratory processing.
Additional diagnostic services are also expected to be available without requiring every patient to travel into Spartanburg or Greenville.
Hammond said the property includes space for mobile MRI and CT services as patient volume warrants. Mobile breast-health mammography services will also visit the facility, with appointments generally coordinated through the office or Spartanburg Regional’s referral system.
The new office represents a substantial increase in capacity for primary healthcare in a community that continues to add new residents.
Hammond thanked Woodruff Mayor Kenneth Gist, City Council members and others involved with the project for supporting the development, along with Spartanburg Regional’s Board of Trustees, facilities team, contractors and architects.
After the ceremonial ribbon was cut, staff members were invited forward for a second ribbon cutting of their own before guests entered the building for tours.
For Woodruff, the opening is another visible sign of how the city’s rapid growth is bringing new services and investment along with new homes and businesses.
And unlike many projects built only for current demand, this facility was intentionally designed with room for what comes next.
As Woodruff grows, Medical Group of the Carolinas says the new office can grow with it.
