50th anniversary celebrated by Trident Medical Center

North Charleston, S.C. — It was a toast 50 years in the making.

More than 200 special guests attended Trident Medical Center’s golden anniversary to honor those who helped build the hospital and those who are currently shaping the next 50 years of healthcare in what is currently one of the fastest growing regions in the U.S. — the Charleston, S.C. region, which is often referred to as the South Carolina Lowcountry.

Trident Health President and Trident Medical Center Chief Executive Officer Jeff Wilson told attendees, “Fifty years ago, a group of visionary community leaders recognized a simple but powerful truth — that every person in the Charleston, S.C. region deserves access to high quality healthcare close to home.”

The statement drew on the origins of the hospital that opened on July 21, 1975 as 220-bed Trident Regional Hospital in North Charleston, S.C. Five years earlier, business and community leaders in Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester Counties, S.C. asked Dr. Lloyd Varner to lead a group to explore opening an ER in North Charleston, SC. At the time, North Charleston was largely rural and serviced by small community hospitals. Today, it’s South Carolina’s third largest city.

The VIP event, which was followed the following day by Trident’s 50^th Anniversary Colleague and Family Fun Day, included:

William Wimberly, MD, who performed the first procedure at the hospital soon after it opened on July 21, 1975.

Jason Cordes, who was the first baby born at Trident two months after it opened and who was delivered by Dr. Wimberly.

Bonnie Johnson, who started working at the hospital one month prior to the ribbon cutting as a member of the team preparing for the opening. She still works with Trident Health.

Leshauna Barron, who was the third baby born at the hospital and who volunteered there as a teen and currently is celebrating her 15^th year working in the hospital’s Ambulatory Care Center.

Robert Blackard, MD, who started the hospital’s anesthesiology program.

The event also included the unveiling of a commissioned painting by Summerville, SC-based artist Julie Wheeler. The painting depicted the early morning arrival of air transport moments before landing on the hospital’s helipad to bring a patient needing trauma services to the hospital.

In his comments, Wilson reminded guests in 2016 the hospital’s trauma program earned designation as a Level ll trauma center, which is considered one of the hospital’s primary milestones in its 50-year history. Today, Trident Medical Center provides more trauma care than any other program in the Charleston, S.C. region. In 2024, nearly 2,600 patients received trauma care at the hospital.

Wilson also noted to guests that the story of Trident Medical Center can’t be told without mentioning HCA Healthcare, its parent company.

In 1970 Dr. Varner began his work determined to find a trusted partner with a vision for the future. He found it in Nashville, TN-based HCA Healthcare. Dr. Varner’s request for an ER grew into Trident Medical Center, located directly across the street from what is now Charleston Southern University.

Robert Blackard, MD, who started the hospital’s anesthesiology program and who attended the anniversary event said, “At the time there wasn’t much more than pine trees and small communities around the site of the new hospital.” Today, the hospital’s location, Exit 205B off Interstate 26, is a key contributor to its continued growth and expansion of new services. As CEO Jeff Wilson noted in media interview, the Charleston peninsula is bordered by water, which restricts expansion, while the North Charleston corridor has room for communities to develop and businesses to expand.

In addition to expanding much-needed medical services, increasingly to traditionally underserved communities like James Island and Johns Island, S.C., and providing the clinical and technological expertise required to care for the increasing number of high acuity patients with complex medical conditions, Wilson shared examples of how the hospital cares for the communities it serves.

In the past five years, Trident Health, which includes Trident Medical Center, Summerville Medical Center, Live Oak Mental Heath & Wellness and its four freestanding ERs — Brighton Park Emergency, Centre Pointe Emergency, James Island Emergency and Moncks Corner Medical Center:

• Had more than 1.2M patient interactions
• Treated more than 500,000 patients needing emergency care

Provided

• $1.1B in salaries, wages and benefits
• $201M in charity and uncompensated care
• $188M in taxes

Before inviting guests to join him in a toast, Wilson said, “Fifty years ago, a vision was born — to create a hospital that would not only care for this community but grow with it. That vision has stood the test of time, thanks to the extraordinary people who believed in it and brought it to life.”

In the fourth quarter of 2025, Trident Medical Center is scheduled to continue its commitment to expanding access to care by holding groundbreaking events for what will be the first freestanding ER on Johns Island, S.C., Johns Island ER, and Long Point ER in Mount Pleasant, S.C.