Aiken Regional Medical Centers is preparing to open its freestanding ER at Martintown in North Augusta by the end of September. An open house was held on September 2 to mark the completion of the facility, which was constructed over 10 months.
Located at 407 West Martintown Road, this new emergency room represents Aiken Regional Medical Centers’ second significant investment in North Augusta within four years. The ER at Sweetwater opened in 2022. The Martintown facility is larger, featuring 13 rooms compared to Sweetwater’s nine.
Matt Merrifield, CEO of Aiken Regional Medical Centers, stated that the Sweetwater location provided substantial evidence of the high demand for emergency care in the area. He noted that Sweetwater sees well over 100 patients daily, significantly exceeding the previously anticipated 40 patients per day for that site. Merrifield emphasized the rapid growth of the North Augusta area and the clear need for additional emergency services.
The ER at Martintown will provide the same services as the Sweetwater location, including access to adult and pediatric care, an on-site board-certified physician, CT and X-ray imaging, laboratory services, and a pharmacy. Outpatient imaging and lab work will also be available. Merrifield described the new facility as comparable to emergency services found in any major hospital.
The $17 million project broke ground last November. Greg Greenawalt, a past chair of the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce, highlighted the ER as a significant investment in the health, safety, and continued growth of both the North Augusta and Aiken communities.
North Augusta Mayor Briton Williams commented that access to quality healthcare, such as this new emergency care facility, is a crucial factor in the quality of life and influences people’s decisions to reside in an area. Merrifield affirmed Aiken Regional Medical Centers’ commitment to meeting community demand and suggested that opportunities for complementary services in the North Augusta area might still exist.
