Our Story
University Health Care System is anchored by the 812-bed University Hospital, and serves Augusta-Richmond County and the surrounding region. University Hospital is governed by the Board of Trustees of University Health Services, which serves voluntarily to help ensure that our patients have quality medical services. Founded in 1818 as City Hospital, the hospital was first located on the 100 block of Greene Street. University has since moved through four facilities to its present location, which opened in 1970. Over the years, the campus has expanded to include the Heart & Vascular Institute, our Summerville campus, University Hospital McDuffie and office buildings that house more than 600 private practice physicians and various treatment centers.
University has a long history as a leader in delivering cardiovascular, cancer and women's services. We developed the area's first outpatient cardiac catheterization and performed the region's first angioplasty. We opened the area's first Breast Health Center and put the area's first Mobile Mammography Unit on the road, giving more women in our community access to breast cancer screening.
Our W.G. Watson, M.D., Women's Center features 36 obstetrical suites and state-of-the-art surgical suites dedicated for obstetrical and gynecological patients. The center has a well-baby nursery and a 40-bed Level III Special Care Nursery offering neonatal intensive care to our smallest and most critically ill infants.
The Heart & Vascular Institute, a 188,000-square-foot cardiovascular center with 72 universal inpatient suites, is the largest, most comprehensive center of its kind in the region and offers a full range of heart and vascular care, from diagnosis to rehabilitation.
Recognizing the need to serve more of the community closer to home, University has established medical centers in South Richmond County, North Augusta, Aiken and expanded services in Columbia County to include medical office buildings, a joint-venture diagnostic imaging center, a skilled nursing facility, a joint venture Day Surgery Center and Prompt Care facilities.
University is accredited by The Joint Commission (TJC), which is an independent, not-for-profit organization, established more than 50 years ago. The Joint Commission is governed by a board that includes physicians, nurses and consumers. The Joint Commission sets the standards by which health care quality is measured in America and around the world.
