Georgetown Annual Report

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Georgetown Hospital System a

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Family

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c o mm u n i t y

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caring for family

G e o r g e t o w n M e m o r i a l H o s p i ta l W a c c a m a w C o mm u n i t y H o s p i t a l


From us to you How we care for you and your family

Community benefits, as defined by the South Carolina Hospital Association for purposes of consistent reporting, are programs and services that meet one or more of the following criteria: ‚ support the hospital’s communitybased mission ‚ target the problems of the poor or medically underserved ‚ impact the health

Dear friends, For nearly six decades, Georgetown Hospital System (GHS) has been serving the healthcare needs of our communities. It’s with Bruce P. Bailey Chief Executive Officer pride that we provide this first “Report to Our Community” filled with stories and statistics about the many ways we touch lives and serve our friends and neighbors. GHS facilities join other hospitals across our state and nation in saving lives, improving the quality of life and providing compassionate care for all, regardless of patients’ ability to pay. Some of our efforts are traditional and expected: 24-hour emergency care, outpatient testing, health screening

programs and medical and surgical care. Other GHS efforts, such as our focus on education, support and outreach services, are less traditional but no less important in contributing to the high quality of life we all desire. While it’s difficult to describe our organizational activities without numbers, it’s important to realize that behind each number is a person. A patient, nurse, doctor, technologist, support person or volunteer— these are the people behind the numbers. For the GHS family, people are our story; I hope you enjoy reading it on these pages.*

Sincerely, Bruce P. Bailey Chief Executive Officer, Georgetown Hospital System

status of the identified community ‚ reduce community health costs ‚ are accessible to the entire community regardless of ability to pay ‚ would likely be discontinued if decisions were made on a purely financial basis ‚ stimulate external community

*

The statistics in this report represent FY 2008 data, unless otherwise indicated.

What are ‘community

benefits’?

For many years, hospitals have struggled to gather and report data about the type, amount and value of various community benefits they provide. South Carolina Hospital Association members have developed guidelines for reporting these community benefits, both traditional and nontraditional. Traditional benefits are tied to a hospital’s commitment to provide needed healthcare services to all patients. These benefits reflect the service, financial assistance or charity care provided to patients who can’t pay. Hospitals also offer nontraditional community benefits—both on the hospital campus and well beyond the hospital walls—to increase access to care and improve the health status and enhance the quality of community members’ lives. •

G e o r g e to w n H o s p i ta l S ys t e m

Georgetown Memorial Hospital

Waccamaw Community Hospital


GHS is here

for you

Community support at Georgetown Hospital System (GHS) comes in many forms. Classes, screenings, speakers, presentations, sponsorships, partnerships,

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The

transportation services, donations of cash and in-kind services, service hours benefiting community groups and participation in environmental improvement initiatives are some of the many ways GHS provides ongoing support for our community. GHS is working behind the scenes to improve our community’s quality of life, whether it’s with blood drive sponsorships, food bank donations or referral services for those in need of community services and public assistance programming. Reducedfee and free health screenings, flu vaccine clinics and access to free support groups help make many in our community healthier and happier. Support not directly related to healthcare, like a Support the Troops program that sends gift baskets to local military men and women serving our country, are also enthusiastically embraced by GHS. •

GHS community benefit support* community members impacted by community benefit programs:

14,389 Community benefit total:

$1,355,795 * FY 2007

gift of giving

A special and treasured joy of the holiday season lies in the gifts we give to others. As a result of a holiday program coordinated by Georgetown Hospital System’s (GHS’s) Women’s Board, children in need throughout Horry and Georgetown counties learn what the season is all about. Underprivileged children and their families are selected by local school guidance counselors to take part in our Santa’s Workshop program. Participants are screened by GHS’s

Foundation Office to determine each family’s needs.

Shopping with Santa The air is filled with magic as families arrive for the big event held at Georgetown’s Bobby Alford Recreation Center in East Bay Park. Each child shops for gifts for his or her family members from Santa’s Workshop. The selected gifts are bagged and gift wrapped. Once the children finish shopping, they enjoy arts and

crafts where they can complete ageappropriate projects to decorate their homes. During this special day, children also enjoy a visit with Santa Claus, who gives each child an individualized gift after a quick chat. An elf waits patiently to photograph the big smiles and frames them as special memories of a fun-filled day. The festivities conclude with cookie decorating. Santa’s Workshop—organized by the Women’s Board with support from GHS’s Foundation, volunteers and donors—makes the season brighter for children and their families. • community report 2008


New technology at GHS An investment in our community’s health

GHS’s ongoing commitment to advanced technology is a major contributor to patient safety and the ongoing delivery of quality care in our hospitals.

Twice named one of the “Most Wired” among similar hospitals in the United States, Georgetown Hospital System (GHS) makes ongoing investments in technological advances that are critical in ensuring that local residents have access to the latest medical diagnostic and treatment tools. So it’s no surprise that technology is a major element of GHS’s overall community benefit. GHS’s technology commitment contributes to patient safety. For example, bedside

Interested in a healthcare Georgetown Hospital System (GHS) is dedicated to providing educational opportunities for community members. We invest in developing people, whether they’re beginning to explore career choices or looking for new challenges.

Student education

GHS participates in local job fairs and school events.

GHS participates in elementary, middle and high school student career fairs that educate students about a variety of healthcare career choices. We also give hospital tours to interested school groups. In addition, GHS supports college students through numerous scholarships while our nurses, pharmacists and other health professionals

G e o r g e to w n H o s p i ta l S ys t e m

bar-coding devices used at Georgetown Memorial Hospital and Waccamaw Community Hospital help ensure the right patient receives the right dosage of the right medication at the right time. Whether it’s diagnostic technology like MRI, digital radiography or mammography, PET/CT scans or a state-of-theart linear accelerator or stereotactic radiosurgery used to treat cancer patients, GHS’s continuous reinvestment in emerging and upgraded technology represents an annual investment of about $6.3 million. •

career? spend hours overseeing college students finishing clinical rotations in our facilities as part of each student’s degree program.

Employee education Our commitment to education doesn’t end with community members. Our tuition reimbursement program helps employees further their education and develop their skills. GHS is one of the only hospital facilities in coastal South Carolina to operate a continuing medical education (CME) program accredited by the South Carolina Medical Association. This program allows medical staff members to earn CME credits close to home. If you choose a career in healthcare, you can depend on GHS for the resources you need to help you reach your goals. •


Conquering

breast cancer

Mammograms save lives. Yet all too often, women who can’t afford an annual mammogram go undiagnosed. Georgetown Hospital System (GHS) is proud to provide access to the healthcare resources needed to help win the war against breast cancer. As part of the fight, GHS has developed a breast health clinic program for underserved women in Georgetown County. “It’s All About Me” began in summer 2007. Women who meet eligibility criteria are able to get mammograms at clinics held each quarter in locations throughout Georgetown County. These clinics have been funded in part through a grant from

the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Lowcountry Affiliate, which helped to provide 46 mammograms at the very first clinic held. •

Programs of caring When it comes to providing signs of comfort, caring and compassion, the smallest gesture sometimes makes the biggest impression. Georgetown Hospital System’s (GHS’s) Auxiliary, founded in 1951, has long dedicated itself to supporting our hospitals and their patients with a variety of meaningful programs. Some of the group’s initiatives, such as the annual Lights of Love holiday fundraiser, are highly publicized and broad in scope.

Others go on quietly and are conducted on a much more personal level, affecting patients who need them most, one by one, day after day, year after year.

Caring for kids The Auxiliary’s rainbow bear initiative is one such special program. The group donates colorful teddy bears to pediatric patients who are frightened, ill, upset or simply in need of a cuddly companion. During 2007, about 900 rainbow bears helped reassure and calm anxious children who were patients at one of GHS’s facilities.

Caring for cancer survivors Another meaningful Auxiliary program is the Angel

Coins of Hope project. People with cancer who undergo radiation treatment at the Francis B. Ford Cancer Treatment Center are presented with a symbolic coin reminding them of their accomplishments in their battle against cancer and offering them hope for the future. The Auxiliary awarded more than 200 Angel Coins of Hope to local patients with cancer during 2007.

Caring for the littlest patients The celebration of the beginning of a new life is yet another event in which GHS’s Auxiliary participates. Each baby born at Georgetown Memorial Hospital or Waccamaw Community Hospital receives a special commemorative engraved feeding spoon from the Auxiliary. About 1,000 new baby gift spoons are distributed each year. • community report 2008


Combating

GHS community economic impact Annual payroll:

$67,900,000 Property taxes:

$3,284 Sales taxes:

$2,378,384 Hospital taxes*:

$5,720,670 Total community economic impact:

$76,002,338 *

South Carolina hospital tax imposed to help fund medicaid program

childhood obesity

The epidemic of childhood obesity has grown consistently over the last few years, attracting the attention of the media and caregivers nationwide. To help solve the problem, Georgetown Hospital System (GHS) has implemented several programs to help children who have weight-management issues make healthy choices for themselves. The Pediatric Create Your Weight program, operated by our Food and Nutrition Services Department, is an eight-week series of classes about healthy food choices, exercise, portion control and eating out. The first program took place in fall 2007.

A family effort

Children and their families completed the initial program, which also included a hands-on cooking demonstration at

GHS

local contributions

Did you know that Georgetown Hospital System (GHS) is a significant and steady contributor to our local economies? GHS—one of the largest employers in Georgetown and surrounding counties— boosts the overall local economic outlook. Large numbers of GHS employees return their payroll dollars to the local economy in the form of housing, transportation, retail and other spending. GHS’s local purchasing also invests additional dollars into our local economies. Despite the myth that not-for-profit organizations like GHS don’t pay taxes, our property, sales and other tax payments also contribute to our local financial well-being. •

G e o r g e to w n H o s p i ta l S ys t e m

GHS’s HealthPoint—Center for Health and Fitness. The participants registered a weight loss, and the program was featured on a local news broadcast. Parental involvement was a key factor in the program’s success. Parents learned the importance of the covered concepts, leading to reinforcement of lifestyle changes at home. In addition to this initiative, GHS registered dietitians participated in the Georgetown County YMCA’s summer program, educating participants about nutrition choices. Nutritionrelated sessions were taught throughout the county over the summer. The campers learned about the Food Guide Pyramid, portion control and healthy food choices. •


Uncompensated care* provided by Georgetown Hospital System: ■ Government payors (Medicare, etc.)

$24,682,000

Hands-on patient care is at the core of GHS’s community impact.

■ Bad debt benefit

$10,268,000

■ Charity care benefit

$8,842,000

Total:

$43,792,000

*All numbers represent uncompensated care at cost.

Fighting the flu—

Who is Georgetown

Sometimes a minor process change makes a major difference in achieving a goal. One such change made by Georgetown Hospital System (GHS) may be responsible for reducing our community’s influenza risk. Community flu vaccine clinics have been conducted for many years by most hospitals and have been fairly effective. But the standard flu clinic procedure of standing on line proved difficult for the elderly and mobility­‑impaired patients. To meet the needs of this growing segment of our community, GHS started a drive-through flu vaccine clinic in 2007. Patients drive up, sign release forms and get their vaccine without leaving their car. “If it weren’t for this drive-through clinic, my parents may not have gotten their flu shots this year,” says a concerned daughter. GHS administered more than 2,000 flu vaccines to community members in 2008, many of them through this new system. •

Georgetown Hospital System family members include facilities located throughout Georgetown and Horry counties: ‚ Georgetown Memorial Hospital ‚ Waccamaw Community Hospital ‚ Francis B. Ford Cancer Treatment Center ‚ HealthPoint—Center for Health and Fitness ‚ The Imaging Center at Waccamaw Medical Park ‚ NextStep Adult Rehabilitation Services at:

one shot at a time

Hospital System?

• Georgetown

• Azalea Lakes

• Pawleys Island

• Andrews

‚ NextStep Pediatric Rehabilitation

Services at:

‚ Elizabeth F. Dawson ‚ S. Craig Downing, M.D. ‚ Richard J. Ferdon Jr. ‚ Francis B. “Jeepy” Ford Jr. ‚ Judith K. Ingle ‚ Walter F. Johnson III ‚ Robert L. Jones ‚ Webster N. Jones III, M.D. ‚ Charles A. Moore ‚ J. Edward Norris III

• Azalea Lakes

‚ NextStep Pain Management

‚ Julian A. Reynolds Jr. ‚ H. McRoy Skipper

Services at: • Georgetown

‚ Alan S. Altman

‚ Wallace J. McKnight

• Murrells Inlet

• Georgetown

GHS Board of Trustees

‚ Sharon G. Smith • Murrells Inlet

‚ NextStep Wound Healing Center ‚ Waccamaw Rehabilitation Center

community report 2008


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Boating for

better health

Cancer survivors team up for fun

Friends and neighbors cared for ‚ 12,290 inpatient admissions ‚ 55,937 emergency department visits ‚ 151,496 outpatient visits ‚ 1,037 births ‚ 4,062 outpatient surgeries

Georgetown Hospital System vital statistics 1,600 employees ‚ 205 physicians ‚ 230 volunteers ‚ 15 Board of ‚

Trustees members ‚ 24 Foundation Board members ‚

91 Women’s Board members

When a group of local cancer survivors first met in 2007, forming a group designed to promote fellowship and positive emotional, spiritual and physical well-being was their goal. What they achieved has been so much more. Today, some Georgetown and Horry County cancer survivors gather twice a week for sport and fun while paddling an unusually decorated boat along inland waterways. The group is part of a team dedicated to Dragon Boating, an ancient Chinese sport involving a crew of 20 paddlers, a steersman and a coxswain in a 4-foot-wide by 40-foot-long boat.

Inspiration and hope “Dragon Boat At The Beach” is the local team formed through collaboration with Georgetown Hospital System (GHS), from

whom they receive advice, organizational assistance and coaching. While paddling to a rhythmic drum beat, team members gain physical and emotional strength as they celebrate each victory and “awaken the dragon within” with encouragement, inspiration and hope. Team members participate in regular conditioning classes held at GHS’s HealthPoint—Center for Health and Fitness. The project is funded through events organized by the group of male and female cancer survivors and their supportive family members and friends. “The world can seem a very dark place after a cancer diagnosis. Seeing a group of survivors participate and compete with such energy gives me much-needed hope for the future,” says team member Gail H. •

A continuing commitment Hands-on patient care is at the heart of Georgetown Hospital System’s (GHS’s) community impact. We provide no greater service than attending to the immediate healthcare needs of those who are in pain, suffering or facing a critical medical situation. The patients we care for each day and each year are individuals. From the father suffering from a chronic illness

to the first-time mom celebrating the wonder of birth, we take pride and pleasure in caring for each patient. You’re our friends and neighbors, and it’s our firm commitment to care for you in the same way we’d care for a valued family member. It’s been our pleasure to prepare this first “Report to Our Community.” We hope it’s provided some insight into the many ways GHS is at work as your community partner. •


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