Beaufort Memorial Hospital is the largest hospital between Savannah and Charleston with 197 licensed beds. A full service, community hospital, it is fully accredited by The Joint Commission, and is affiliated with Duke Medicine in heart and cancer care. Opened in 1944 as a 25-bed facility, Beaufort Memorial has grown and continued to gain community support over the years.
Today, it remains an independent, quasi-governmental facility, meaning it is financially independent with a 9-member Board of Trustees appointed by Beaufort County Council. Less than 1% of the hospital's operational expenses are reimbursed by the County.