Prisma Health Heart Hospital celebrates 20 years

Gopi Dandamudi, MD

Prisma Health Heart Hospital

Prisma Health Heart Hospital, the state’s only free-standing heart hospital, is celebrating two decades of caring for patients in February 2026.

“As we prepare to celebrate 20 years of Prisma Health Heart Hospital, we honor not only two decades of excellence in cardiovascular care, but also the people like our dedicated teams, physicians and community who made it possible,” said Gopi Dandamudi, MD, President of Prisma Health Heart & Vascular Institute. “This milestone reflects our unwavering commitment to innovation, compassion and advancing heart health across the communities we serve. The future is bright as we continue to lead with purpose and passion.”

Healing by design, built from the ground up

Before the hospital was even built, team members who would spend the next 20 years working there had a say in the aesthetics.

“It’s such a healing environment, and that was by design,” said Kim Wallace, the hospital’s Director of Nursing. “It’s tranquil, calm. The layout is very open, and our waiting rooms have big windows. All the suites are named for South Carolina rivers and lakes.”

“We watched it being built from the ground up, and that made it feel special. It was pure pleasure to walk into that building once it was finished,” said Carolyn James, Acute Care RN. “It has been a blessing to serve the patients, the families and the community all these years.”

Its staff has seen a lot of changes over the years, with the constant implementation of innovative and leading-edge technology, minimally invasive procedures and highly advanced imaging options.

“We also have the trained staff to take care of patients who are very ill,” said Gerri Frierson-Peay, RN,Nurse Manager of the Hartwell Suite and Central Monitoring Station. “They are specially trained in all the advanced technology we have.”

“We have seamless care,” Kim said. “You start here when you’re coming in for a general diagnosis and get everything you need here. And we have the ability to make critical decisions quickly, which also improves outcomes.”

“Our leading-edge technology helps our patients live longer and better,” said Lauren Brodie, Nurse Manager of the Heart Failure Unit. “We’ve implanted more than 300 LVADs, a mechanical heart pump that can significantly increase life expectancy. People come from other South Carolina hospitals to receive the adult ECMO therapy, which we’ve had a lot of success with, especially among young patients.”

Other award-winning and accredited care includes on-site cardiac CT and MRI imaging, an Advanced Heart Health Center, Interventional Cardiology, Congestive Heart Failure and Structural Heart programs, Atrial Fibrillation and Arrhythmia Center, the Aortic Center, Heart Failure Clinics, Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, cardiovascular surgery and a wide range of minimally invasive testing. It also has a top tier heart failure and chest pain protocol and a 24/7 STEMI on-call unit.

Lauren pointed to ablation machines that cause less tissue damage than previous procedures and minimally invasive heart valves that allow patients to return home the same day. The hospital’s tremendous vascular surgery program utilizes limb salvage surgery, which is a tremendous benefit in South Carolina with an especially high number of patients who would otherwise need amputation.

Embracing new technologies, new treatments and new options for heart health

The Heart Hospital is also part of many national cardiac clinical trials, which Lauren pointed out means it’s been instrumental in proving outcomes so that new devices – some of which its team has been the first in the nation to use – can get approved by the FDA and used by other people more quickly. In fact, she added, “We were the first in the world to enroll in Team-HF, where you implant a trigger using a remote monitoring device to project patient decline so they can get advanced therapies more quickly!”

Kim noted that the strength in leadership comes from their longevity. “Our leadership team has been here for quite some time. This truly is a family. We know each other’s kids, we’ve watched them grow up, all experienced the death of a parent.”

Wendy Lewis, Telemetry Unit Supervisor, echoed that sentiment. “People stay because of our strong core mission and the integrity and transparency from leaders who provide resources to allow team members to grow and develop to their full potential. The culture of the heart hospital is centered on new developments, excellent patient care and team member satisfaction, all of which lead to longevity.”

Your partners in comprehensive heart care

Prisma Health’s heart experts are dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart and vascular conditions. From the latest heart screenings to minimally invasive cardiac surgery, we can help you with all your heart care needs. Learn more here.