For over a year, COVID-19 has presented challenges we have not seen before, both in our professional and personal lives.
McLeod Health Cheraw has been caring for COVID-19 patients since the beginning of the pandemic. Our staff has worked tirelessly to care for the very sick and to adjust to this new normal of COVID. We are extremely proud of their dedication and endurance during a very challenging time.
McLeod Health Cheraw, with the support of both providers and our residents, is committed to excellent medical services, treatment, compassion and technology. Even during a pandemic, we are constantly seeking improvement to our processes and growth that benefits our patient population. In our ongoing efforts to keep you all informed, we wanted to brief you on some updates currently underway.
In the last year, we have added three new Family Medicine Resident Physicians to our medical staff at McLeod Primary Care Cheraw: Dr. Kwame Brown, Dr. Cathryn Aliceaacosta and Dr. Bhavik Patel. These physicians bring much needed access to primary care services to the region, and we are fortunate to have them caring for our community. They work in conjunction and under the close supervision of seasoned McLeod Family Medicine Faculty Physicians, providing care for the entire family including pediatrics and women’s and men’s health.
This June, we were pleased to open a new Intensive Care Unit with double the space of the previous unit. The new ICU’s six fully private patient rooms with natural lighting and state-of-the-art critical care equipment will serve area patients well in the years to come.
We have also expanded the use of telehealth in the inpatient setting as well as in our McLeod Physician Associates practices surrounding the hospital. Throughout the pandemic, telemedicine has played an important role in the care process by linking our patients with specialists such as pulmonologists and neurologists who otherwise would not have access to these services as rural residents.
Over the next 18 months, we will be converting to a new Electronic Health Record platform called EPIC. EPIC will improve the patient care experience by providing a comprehensive health record for each patient that can be shared with physicians across the McLeod Health system. It will also provide online scheduling capabilities; bill pay options and access to the patient’s health records and test results.
Thank for your continuous support for your local hospital and the kindness you have shown our staff over this trying time. We will get through this together.
Sincerely,
Bren Lowe, CEO
McLeod Health Cheraw