South Carolina hospitals may place emergency beds in hallways under safeguards

A designated emergency department leader may approve patient beds in hallways, corridors, or other exit routes during a justified emergency. A justified emergency includes a declared state of emergency, a natural or manmade disaster, an accident, a hazardous event, violence causing injuries, an infectious disease outbreak, or an emergency department with no treatment space left because of the number of patients. The leader, designated under the hospital’s written policy, must determine that all other appropriate treatment space in the hospital is exhausted and patients’ health and safety are at risk without the beds. The leader must document those findings on an electronic form developed by the Department of Public Health. The leader must document the findings within seven calendar days after the justified emergency starts.

Hospitals must keep records of each emergency bed use and send copies of the completed form to the Department of Public Health at least quarterly. The records cover each time the hospital determines that a justified emergency exists and uses patient beds in hallways, corridors, or other exit routes. The form must record the emergency’s start and end, its type, the exhausted treatment space, the increased risk to patients, and the signature of a designated leader at the emergency’s onset. Hospitals must provide copies of the form no less than quarterly.

Hospitals must keep routes clear, remove beds when they are not being used for emergency care, and prepare written emergency protocols for staff. These duties apply to hospitals during justified emergencies and to employees responsible for patient care or treatment. Hospitals may not block exits or build anything that obstructs sprinklers, fire alarms, or other fire protection systems. Employees responsible for patient care or treatment must learn the hospital’s protocols. The law took effect when the governor approved it on May 19, 2026.