Roper forms partnership with Hampton Regional Medical Center

Roper St. Francis Healthcare is stretching its medical muscle by about 90 miles, from Charleston to rural Hampton County, under a new effort to expand patient-care options in an underserved area of the state.

Roper St. Francis and the smaller Hampton Regional Medical Center said Wednesday they have formed an affiliation that will give the recently built 32-bed hospital in Varnville broader access to Charleston-based specialists in such niche areas as cardiology, neurology and oncology.

"We think this is something that will make a profound change," said David L. Dunlap, president and chief executive officer of Roper St. Francis.

The cooperative alliance, which took effect Feb. 1, also will enable Hampton Regional to save money by ordering some of its goods and services through the much larger Roper St. Francis purchasing network.

"I think we can all agree that the economics of health care have become more challenging in recent years, and it has never been more important for hospitals to explore opportunities to collaborate like this," Dunlap said.

For more details, see Thursday's editions of The Post and Courier.