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NC Health Provider Eyes Greenville SC’s Eastside Medical District

Novant Health wants to build a 20-bed, $132 million hospital in Greenville, South Carolina, its first in the Upstate region. 

The Post and Courier reported Novant Health plans to build its first Upstate hospital — and a separate, 100,000-square-foot health care and office building — in the medical district on Patewood Drive off Interstate 385.

It reported the plan will require state regulators' approval.

Business North Carolina and The Post and Courter reported Novant Health submitted its Certificate of Need application for the hospital to the South Carolina Department of Public Health in February. The media outlets said a decision is likely as soon as this summer. 

BNC and The Post and Courier also reported the hospital is planned on a 12-acre property across from hospitals run by Prisma Health and Bon Secours, Greenville’s two largest health-care providers. BNC said Novant Health purchased the site for $17 million last year.

Novant Health is the second-largest hospital operator based in North Carolina behind Advocate Health, which owns Atrium Health. The Winston-Salem-based system bought three hospitals in coastal South Carolina for $2.4 billion in early 2024, according to BNC.

BNC reported robust profits are fueling Novant’s growth - $920 million of net income, or an excess of revenues over expenses, on operating revenues of almost $10.2 billion in 2024. The profit included $556 million in operating income and $363.5 million in investment income and other nonoperating income.

Novant Health has 19 hospitals, more than 900 locations and 40,000 employees. It is a dominant hospital operator in the Charlotte, Triad and Wilmington, North Carolina, areas.

BNC and The Post and Courier reported Greenville County faces a shortage of 111 hospital beds, according to the 2024 South Carolina Health Plan. The region is among the fastest-growing parts of South Carolina.

Prisma Health is a private, not-for-profit health organization formed by the merger of Greenville Health System and Palmetto Health in 2017. 

Bon Secours Mercy Health is one of the largest U.S. Catholic-affiliated healthcare systems. It is based in Cincinnati.

 

Credit One Bank has extended its title partnership with the Credit One Charleston Open through 2031 and, with this new commitment, will provide equal prize money to players starting in 2026. 

Officials said this milestone reflects the bank's ongoing commitment to gender equality in sports and further solidifies Charleston's role as a leader on the Hologic WTA Tour.

With this move, the Credit One Charleston Open, North America's largest women's-only professional tennis tournament, becomes the first standalone WTA 500 tournament to voluntarily increase prize money prior to the 2033 deadline for all single-week WTA 1000 and 500 events to reward equal prize money.

“Credit One is proud to reaffirm our sponsorship of this premier all-women's tennis tournament through 2031,” said Amber Greenwalt, SVP of Brand and Advertising for Credit One Bank.

“Just as the Credit One Charleston Open has built a legacy of empowerment since 1973, Credit One is also dedicated to fostering momentum and celebrating achievements by empowering people in their financial journeys.” 

“At the Credit One Charleston Open, we believe in fostering an environment where all athletes are recognized and rewarded for their talent and dedication,” said Ben Navarro, Credit One Charleston Open Tournament owner.

“Providing equal prize money in 2026 is a significant step toward creating a more inclusive and equitable future for tennis.”

The tournament has a long history of breaking new ground in tennis, having been the first women's tennis event to offer $100,000 in prize money in 1973 and the first to be broadcast live on network television.

The inaugural champion, Rosie Casals, received a check for $30,000, which was the largest prize money payout awarded to a woman that year.

The prize money for the 2025 Credit One Charleston Open was $1,064,510. 

In 2026, the prize money would have been approximately $1.15 million, but in a commitment to equal pay, the purse will be increased to match ATP 500's, which typically offer more than $2 million in prize money. 

The ATP Tour is the governing body for men's professional tennis. 

The exact purse for the 2026 Credit One Charleston Open will be finalized once the official prize money figures for the 2026 season are released.

“The Credit One Charleston Open has always been at the forefront of promoting women in sports, and we're incredibly proud of our legacy. We've broken attendance records year after year, drawing more than 90,000 attendees and 26 million international television viewers,” said Navarro. 

Navarro added, “As North America's largest women's-only tennis tournament and one of the longest-running women's-only events in professional sports, we're not just celebrating the past -- we're actively shaping the future.”

The Credit One Charleston Open is the kick-off event of the clay season on the Hologic WTA Tour. The tournament was recently named the WTA 500 Tournament of the Year for the third consecutive year.

The nine-day Credit One Charleston Open showcases a singles draw of 48 players, a qualifying draw of 28 players and a doubles draw of 16 players.

Formerly known as the Family Circle Cup and Volvo Car Open, the event relocated to Charleston in 2001 from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, and celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022. 

 

Palmetto Plastics Innovations, a plastic extrusion manufacturer, announced April 9, 2025, it is establishing operations in Jasper County.

The company’s state-of-the-art thermoforming facility will create 28 jobs, according to Gov. Henry McMaster’s office.

Palmetto Plastics manufactures fill and drift eliminators for the cooling tower industry. Officials said the company’s products are vital plastic components for systems used in power plants, manufacturing facilities, universities and hospitals.

Palmetto Plastics will own a new 30,000-square-foot manufacturing facility located at 402 Marble Road in Hardeeville.

Operations are expected to be online in June 2025. Those interested in joining the Palmetto Plastics team should contact Mark Gaeta ([email protected]).

The state’s Coordinating Council for Economic Development approved job development credits related to the project. 

The council also awarded a $100,000 Set-Aside grant to Jasper County to assist with the costs of site preparation and building construction.

On Wednesday, April 9, 2025, members of the Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County team joined with staff and leadership of 10 local credit unions to raise a wall (and a family) up in the Nicholtown community of Greenville. 

This is the latest house started by Habitat Greenville in the heart of this historic community. When finished, it will welcome the 15th Habitat family into a neighborhood where everyone now owns their own home.

“This section of Nicholtown was once apartments that aged well past their normal life span,” said LaTonya Phillips, Habitat Greenville’s president and CEO.

“With the help of our donors, we have transformed this part of the community.”

The staff from Carolina Foothills Credit Federal Credit Union, Vizo Financial Corporate Credit Union, Spero Financial, MTC Federal Credit Union, South Carolina Federal Credit Union, CPM Federal Credit Union, Truliant Federal Credit Union, Sharonview Federal Credit Union, Carolina Credit Union League and Greenville Federal Credit Union framed the walls of the house throughout the morning.

“I have always been a fan of Habitat because Habitat builds communities by providing affordable home ownership in safe neighborhoods,” said Scott Weaver, president and chief executive officer of Carolina Foothills Credit Federal Credit Union. 

“Credit Unions are about people helping people, so it seemed like a perfect fit.”

Weaver added, “We’re not just building a house, we’re building a stronger community.”

Habitat for Humanity of Greenville County opened its doors in 1985 to bring families, community partners, and volunteers together to construct affordable, energy-efficient homes that help families build strength, stability, and self-reliance. 

As of April 2025, Habitat Greenville has completed the construction of more than 420 homes.

 

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