Health Care

Here's to Your Health
Advances in technology make region’s hospitals among the best anywhere

Carolinas Hospital System is a beacon in the Pee Dee region.

With McLeod Regional Medical Center and Carolinas Hospital System in Florence making use of the medical profession’s latest technological advances, health care in the Pee Dee region has never been better.

The two hospitals now offer a combined total of 848 patient beds. And as the largest and third-largest employers in Florence County, respectively, McLeod Health and Carolinas Hospital System also contribute mightily to the local economy.

McLeod celebrated its centennial in 2006 with the December opening of a surgical tower, the focal point of an $82 million expansion that added seven floors to what is now the 12-story McLeod Pavilion. The hospital began its second century of service with 16 state-of-the-art surgical suites.

In addition, the McLeod Heart and Vascular Institute recently installed the Bransist Safire cardiovascular imaging system, the first of its kind in North America. Cardiologists from around the country will be able to visit McLeod to observe the equipment, which provides high-quality images of coronary arteries with reduced radiation exposure to the patient.

McLeod is also the only hospital in the Pee Dee region to offer the new MammoSite targeted radiation therapy, a five-day breast cancer treatment that is less invasive than other procedures.

Because of these and other innovations, McLeod was one of five hospitals nationally recognized by the American Hospital Association in its 2007 Quest for Quality initiative.

“The pursuit of medical excellence and quality health care has long been a cornerstone of McLeod Health,” says Robert L. Colones, president of McLeod Regional Medical Center. “We are extremely pleased with the outcomes we have achieved through our quality initiatives and the patient lives saved as a result.”

Carolinas on the Cutting Edge

Excellence is a trait shared by Carolinas Hospital System as well. It was the only hospital on the Best Companies Group’s recent list of South Carolina’s 15 best places to work.

“It’s extremely important that our employees feel good about the work environment,” says Jim O’Loughlin, chief executive officer, “because that directly impacts how our patients perceive their care.”

To accomplish that goal, the hospital provides cash incentives for employees who improve their health, and it offers tuition assistance and scholarship programs for those interested in furthering their education.

Carolinas Hospital System also remains on the cutting edge of patient care with state-of-the-art diagnostic and surgical equipment. The da Vinci Surgical System allows cardiac and prostate procedures to be performed with minimally invasive robotic techniques, reducing risks and shortening recovery times.

The new Discovery ST (see/treat) PET/CT scanner improves diagnostic and treatment methods for cancer patients and is the first of its kind in northeastern South Carolina.

“The PET/CT is another example of Carolinas Hospital System’s commitment to innovation and technology for early disease detection, supporting physicians in improved diagnosis and treatment,” says Dr. Alan Sechtin, radiologist for Carolinas. He adds that better image quality and shorter scan times translate to more accurate treatment plans and greater patient comfort.

Carolinas Hospital System currently is developing an endovascular suite, and its 2007 merger with Community Health Systems makes it part of the largest proprietary hospital chain in the United States, O’Loughlin says.

Story by Carol Cowan
Photo by Ian Curcio

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