McLeod Health Darlington celebrated its 25th anniversary as a McLeod Health hospital on May 1, 2019. The hospital has served as a vital part of Darlington County and the surrounding communities for more than 70 years.

John McLean Wilson, M.D. and his wife Amelia Talbert Wilson were the founders of Wilson Clinic and Hospital in 1947. The first hospital in Darlington, the facility began in a framed two-story house on Pearl Street.

In 1974, the Wilson family built a modern 50-bed facility with state-of-the-art equipment and furnishings on the north side of SC Highway 34 (Cashua Ferry Road). The hospital was purchased by McLeod Health on May 1, 1994. The following year, an 18-bed Skilled Care Unit was dedicated in honor of Dr. Wilson and his contributions to the community of Darlington.

In order to better serve those individuals in need of psychiatric care, McLeod Health relocated its Behavioral Health facility from Florence to McLeod Health Darlington in 2005. The 23,500-square foot behavioral health facility features a clearly defined entrance and 23 patient rooms. Committed to providing excellent care to adults experiencing a primary psychiatric illness with or without a co-occurring substance abuse disorder, the McLeod Behavioral Health Team includes Psychiatrists, Advanced Practitioners, Licensed Professional Counselors, Nurses and Activity Therapists.

In addition to McLeod Behavioral Health, McLeod Health Darlington offers a wide range of outpatient services from physical, occupational and speech therapy to CT scans, laboratory and cardiopulmonary services. The facility also provides acute care with 49 inpatient beds and a skilled care unit that is available for those in need of short-term rehabilitation, long-term IV antibiotics or wound care.

McLeod Family Medicine Darlington, comprised of four family medicine physicians and one nurse practitioner, is also located on the campus.

Virginia Hardee, Administrator of McLeod Health Darlington, said, “Twenty-five years ago, McLeod Health sought to continue the legacy established by the Wilson family. Today, we are blessed that McLeod remains dedicated to maintaining our community hospital when many rural hospitals are facing closure.”