
Gabby Jonas with WBTW did a story recently on our new Carolina Forest office.
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Three months into operations at its newest facility, Carolina Health Specialists officials say its Carolina Forest site is already proving its worth.
The location opened on Carolina Forest Boulevard near River Oaks Drive after a five-year effort delayed in part by the pandemic, offering services including CAT scans and lab work.
“Being that we are the fastest growing county in the country right now, there’s a desperate need for physicians this area,” said Carolina Health Specialists president and CEO Thad Golden. “And if you look, a lot of people have trouble finding good physicians. So we are providing the community with another place where you can get primary care and specialty medical care.”
Golden said Carolina Health Specialists is able to balance each of its facilities as growth continues.
“It’s amazing to see the community appreciation and understanding of how important this is,” he said.
A Friday ribbon-cutting showcased the years of hard work that went into making the facility happen. Golden said COVID slowed not only its opening, but recruitment efforts for physicians.
“Most people aren’t from here, necessarily. And to get people that want to live here, work here, practice here as physicians, that’s a challenge,” he said. “I’ve been very successful in recruiting physicians and employees, I think really, because of the quality of our company.”
Golden said Carolina Forest’s continued expansion — and Myrtle Beach’s as a whole — made building the clinic in such an accessible location a natural fit.
Joyce Hankins, Carolina Health Specialists’ chief operating officer, said it brings a unique experience for patients.
We are trying to promote that one-stop shop with ultrasounds, with CT scanning. They can do their labs while they’re here, and people like to do that and have all their services right at the tips of their fingers,” she said.
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Gabby Jonas joined the News13 team as a multimedia journalist in April 2024. She is from Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from Kent State University in May 2023. Follow Gabby on X, formerly Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, and read more of her work here.
Click here to read the original story on WBTW’s website.