McLeod opens second urgent care center in Darlington

DARLINGTON — Officials from McLeod Health, Darlington government and residents of the city gathered Thursday in the sweltering heat to welcome the latest addition to the McLeod family: McLeod Urgent Care Darlington.

Cindy Hyatt, director of the urgent care centers, said the new center will bring new services to Darlington residents.

“It’s urgent care, just like it sounds,” she said. “It’s somewhere between your doctor’s office and major heart attacks.”

So far, the first McLeod Urgent Care Center, located in West Florence, has been well-received by the community there, Hyatt said, and she expects the same from the newest addition.

Ronnie Ward, former Darlington mayor and chairman of the Board of Trustees at McLeod Health, also spoke of the need the new facility fills in the community.

“We used to have an ER at McLeod Darlington,” he said. “It was discontinued for a lot of reasons, but it left a void in our community for urgent care.”

Before the opening of the new center, Darlington residents had to drive to the emergency room in Florence, Ward said.

“It meets a need in our community,” he said. “This will take some, hopefully, some of the load off McLeod (in Florence) also.”

Patricia Godbold, administrator of McLeod Medical Center-Darlington and McLeod Behavioral Health Services, said she has seen the need for this type of service in the community for a number of years.

“McLeod has once again met the pleas of the community,” she said. “We are committed to providing for the health-care needs of our population in our regions and this is just one more extension of meeting those needs.”

The urgent care center will be part of the McLeod Medical Center-Darlington facility in that it can use the equipment there for advanced tests and lab work not available at the urgent care center, Godbold said.

“They can go three miles away and get that CT scan or that extensive lab work or rehab after a broken limb,” she said.

Darlington Mayor Tony Watkins quickly talked about the benefits of the center before the crowd moved inside for a reception and air conditioning.

“We know that (emergency rooms) are tremendously expensive and that every small town cannot have one,” he said. “But for us to have a gateway to the premier medical center of the entire region is very important.”