Bon Secours St. Francis breaks ground on emergency department expansion.

Bon Secours broke ground on a $41 million emergency department expansion at St. Francis Downtown on Wednesday. The updated emergency department will be five times larger than the existing space, increasing the department's rooms from 18 to 42, according to a news release.

Greta Cue, administrative director of critical care and emergency services, said the hospital's ER treats 50,000 patients annually, but the new facility will extend its capacity to 75,000. The design will enable the hospital to grow vertically in the future to meet future needs, if necessary, she said in the news release.

"The city of Greenville is growing at a rapid pace," she said in the release. "This expansion will allow Bon Secours to grow along with and care for our...