Community leaders assembled at McLeod Seacoast to participate in the first McLeod Seacoast Fellows Program. During this six month series of classes, participants learn and explore complex issues driving healthcare today. They also have the rare opportunity to get a behind the scenes look at medicine and gain insight into medical and technological advances through access to areas of McLeod Seacoast that are not commonly available to the public.

The goal of the McLeod Seacoast Fellows Program is to make participants valued and well educated partners in seeking answers to the challenges and opportunities facing healthcare. The class also obtains a working knowledge of the healthcare needs of the community and how McLeod Health and the McLeod Foundation are meeting those needs.

During the first class, the participants learned about McLeod Health and the values that are the core of the organization. Kelly Hughes, Director of the McLeod Health Foundation welcomed the participants and presented this year’s class goals and syllabus. Dick Tinsley, Administrator of McLeod Seacoast shared with the class the history of McLeod Health and the progress of McLeod Loris Seacoast. They also learned best practices and processes in the business industry, and how McLeod Health applies those to healthcare.

Susan Pickle, Associate Vice President of Quality and Safety presented information on quality and safety improvement initiatives at McLeod Loris Seacoast, and how these initiatives make the hospital a safe place for patients to be cared for in their journey to wellness.

Dr. John Charles, Chief Medical Staff Officer led the class on a tour of McLeod Seacoast, where participants were able to meet physicians and staff and see  patient rooms. During the tour, Dr. Charles also spoke to participants about the importance of establishing a primary care physician to manage a patient’s health and ways in which the hospital is working to improve the continuity of care between the hospital physicians and primary care providers for patients who are admitted into the hospital.

For information on the McLeod Seacoast Fellows Program, or McLeod Health Foundation, please call (843)390-8228.