McLeod Children’s Hospital
Nurtures Young Bodies

Healing tiny hands and hearts, McLeod Children’s Hospital in Florence cares for more than 56,000 children a year. Premature babies and children needing special pediatric care find it at McLeod Children’s Hospital. Today, 100 beds are dedicated to Neonatal Intensive Care, Pediatric Intensive Care and other unique children’s health needs.

To make sure your child gets the best care possible, our Pediatric Hospitalists care for your child from delivery to discharge.

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  • Specializing in Children’s Health Needs More Than Any other Hospital in the Region

    Board-certified pediatric intensive care specialists oversee the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Subspecialists care for children’s unique needs, including pediatric cardiology, pediatric critical care, pediatric endocrinology, pediatric gastroenterology, and pediatric orthopedic surgery. A specially equipped ChildReach Ambulance stands ready to transport newborns and children from community hospitals to McLeod Children’s Hospital in Florence.

  • Child Life Program Brings Comfort with Care to McLeod Children’s Hospital

    A Child Life specialist reduces anxiety for children preparing for a procedure, allowing them to touch and play with medical equipment. They use bubbles, music and videos to distract a child’s focus on pain. In the Child Life Activity Center, doctors and nurses refrain from interfering with playtime, encouraging family interaction. Find out more at (843) 777-8542.

  • Meet Sugar: McLeod Children’s Hospital Facility Dog

    In November of 2025, McLeod Children’s Hospital proudly welcomed Sugar, a golden retriever/labradoodle facility dog, to the McLeod Health family. Sugar brings comfort and joy to pediatric patients — easing anxiety, helping children learn to take medications, to stay calm during medical interventions, and motivating patients to get out of bed and walk. She can be present during procedures, exams, and even surgeries to help reassure young patients.

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    Unlike volunteer therapy dogs, Sugar is a full-time staff member with advanced, goal-directed training, working alongside McLeod Child Life specialists and clinicians. Bred and trained at Canine Assistants, a nonprofit in Alpharetta, Georgia, a place where dogs selected for hospital work complete more than 1,500 hours of individualized training and 2,250 hours of group instruction. McLeod team members also completed four days of intensive on-site training before bringing Sugar to McLeod.

    Sugar is the first facility dog at McLeod Health. The facility dog program was made possible through grants from the McLeod Foundation and Dunkin’ Dogs for Joy™.

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  • 100% of Children’s Miracle Network Funds Raised Here, Stay Here

    Most donations for care enhancements at McLeod Children’s Hospital come through direct contributions from people like you. The Children’s Hospital is also a member of the 170-hospital Children’s Miracle Network (CMN), dedicated to raising funds/awareness for affiliated hospitals. When CMN raises funds in our service area, 100% of those funds stay here. To make a direct donation, Click here.

  • Pediatric Hospitalists Provide Specialized Care

    To make sure your child gets the very best care, a specialized team of Pediatric Hospitalists care for your child’s entire stay. Pediatric Hospitalists are Board Certified Pediatricians who specialize in the care of hospitalized babies and children. Should your child need the services of specialty pediatricians (Cardiologist, Endocrinologist, Neurologist, or Neonatologist), the Pediatric Hospitalist will work closely with those specialists to ensure your child receives the needed care.

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    Upon admission to the hospital, you will be asked to choose a private doctor to care for your child when he or she goes home. The Pediatric Hospitalist will ensure a smooth transition to your doctor’s private practice. The hospital records will be sent to the office giving your private doctor the details of your child’s hospital stay.

    Benefits of Pediatric Hospitalists:

    • They are readily available to the patient
    • They understand the hospital’s procedures and staff allowing them to quickly obtain test results, call in other specialists and seamlessly coordinate care.
    • They have special skills for managing serious illnesses.
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  • Your Day of Surgery

    At McLeod Children’s Hospital, every child is family, and our team of surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses and staff look forward to taking great care of you during your surgery experience.