Case for Support

Community Health Centers originated with the Johnson administration’s War on Poverty to provide health access points in poor and medically underserved communities with low income. Today that system includes more than one thousand health centers nationwide that provides vital health access points in poor and medically underserved communities.

But the accessibility to quality affordable health care has not kept pace with the growth in families - and the fact is particularly impacting the underserved areas of Horry and Brunswick counties.

It should be no surprise that The Waccamaw Region - Horry County, South Carolina and Brunswick County, North Carolina - is among the fastest growing population centers in the U.S.

For over 30 years, the patient philosophy of Little River Medical Center (LRMC) has been more concerned about their health than their wealth. LRMC provides consistent, highest-quality medical and dental care with a discount program that adjusts according to a household’s income, and accepts both insured and uninsured patients. No one is turned away.

Little River Medical Center currently operates at seven locations:

It's primary health center and a separate administrative services office in Little River
A dental center in North Myrtle Beach
A medical and dental center in Myrtle Beach
Homeless services in partnership with Street Reach Ministries in Myrtle Beach
Low income family and children’s services in partnership with Health Access in Myrtle Beach
Regional on-site school children’s dental program
Migrant farm workers health services provided in Loris, S.C.

With our capital campaign, Little River Medical Center seeks to consolidate and significantly expand its Little River and North Myrtle Beach based operations to meet the rapidly expanding, underserved populations in Horry and Brunswick counties. Horry County is South Carolina’s largest county, and both counties’ population is substantially rural and underserved. The renovation and expansion of the Little River Medical Center will quadruple its current space to over 30,000 square feet at a proposed cost of approximately $6 million.

In addition, the LRMC Board of Directors is developing strategic plans to upgrade and expand its facilities in Myrtle Beach, add a satellite medical and pediatric services facility in Loris, South Carolina to serve western areas of Horry County and areas of Brunswick and Columbus counties.