MUSC plans new children's hospital, Ruckers to lead fundraising

CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - The Medical University of South Carolina is starting a fundraising campaign to build a new children's hospital.

Country music star Darius Rucker and his wife are donating $265,000 and will lead the campaign to raise $350 million, MUSC said.

The new facility will have up to 270 beds for intensive care unit patients, neonatal ICU patients, acute care patients and new and expectant mothers, according to the MUSC Kids website. All patient rooms will be private, equipped with furniture that will comfortably accommodate short or long-term stays by patients and their families.

The new floor plan will double the size of patient rooms in the ICU and grow the square footage of other patient rooms by 80 percent, the site states.

Every floor of the new facility will feature light-filled play spaces, rest areas and shared spaces. Families who must stay for extended periods will have access to kitchens, laundry facilities, showers and other comforts and conveniences, MUSC says.

The new hospital will devote an entire floor to the care of children battling cancer. Another floor will become a pediatric heart center, while another will be designated for non-cardiac surgery.

Other features include an expanded neonatal ICU, an advanced fetal care center, and a dedicated "stork" elevator to transport mothers in labor from the hospital's entrance to the fourth-floor maternity ward.

A $50 million down payment is required to start building, and so far $14.7 million, more than a quarter of that goal, has been raised.

The new hospital will be built next to Ashley River Tower, where Charleston Memorial is now. According to a spokesperson for the hospital, demolition will begin in May.

Rucker will present the check Tuesday night at the North Charleston Performing Arts Center where he is scheduled to perform.

Copyright 2015 WCSC. All rights reserved.