Tidelands Health taking steps to prepare for Aug. 21 solar eclipse
Tidelands Health is taking steps to prepare for the expected influx of visitors in town to watch the Aug. 21 solar eclipse.
Thousands of people are forecast to visit the region because of its prime location to view the eclipse. The surge is expected to cause severe traffic congestion, create potential difficulties communicating by cell phone and lead to an increase in demand for medical care.
In coordination with local emergency management officials and first-response agencies, Tidelands Health has developed a multi-pronged plan to prepare for the event.
“With so many people visiting our region for the eclipse, patient volumes could increase substantially,” said Bruce Bailey, president and CEO of Tidelands Health. “Our goal is to continue providing the same high-quality care patients expect from Tidelands Health.”
Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital and Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital will be fully staffed to provide patient care. Each hospital’s emergency department is preparing for an increase in patients due to the large number of tourists in the region for the eclipse. The emergency departments have increased their stocks of supplies, including snake anti-venom, and will be ready to handle potential cases of eye damage and heat exposure.
Most Tidelands Health outpatient locations will close Monday afternoon to alleviate the need for patients to travel. Hours will be extended during the remainder of the week to accommodate rescheduled appointments.
The health system will also actively monitor its parking lots to ensure adequate space for patients and their visitors. Individuals will not be permitted to park in the lots to watch the eclipse.
“The goal of our eclipse planning is to prepare for a wide variety of possible scenarios,” said Patrick Devlin, director of safety, security and emergency preparedness for Tidelands Health. “We want to make sure we have the resources ready to support the community and our patients.”
Below is a list of Tidelands Health outpatient locations and operating hours for Aug. 21:
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Tidelands NextStep Wound Healing Center at Murrells Inlet
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Open until 11 a.m.
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Tidelands NextStep Wound Healing Center at Georgetown
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Open until noon
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Tidelands NextStep Pain Management Services at Georgetown
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Open until noon
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Tidelands NextStep Pain Management Services at Murrells Inlet
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Closed
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Infusion Services
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Open until noon
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Tidelands NextStep Rehabilitation Services
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All locations open until noon except for the locations in North Myrtle Beach (open until 1:30 p.m.) and Carolina Forest (regular operating hours)
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Tidelands HealthPoint Center for Health and Fitness
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Regular operating hours
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Tidelands Francis B. Ford Cancer Treatment Center
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Francis B. Ford Cancer Treatment Center – radiation therapy services
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Closed
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Tidelands Cancer Center at Murrells Inlet
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Open until noon
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MUSC Neurosciences at Tidelands Health
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Regular operating hours
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Tidelands Andrews Medical Center
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Coastal Carolina Breast Center at Georgetown
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Coastal Carolina Breast Center at Murrells Inlet
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Coastal Carolina Breast Center at Myrtle Beach
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Health Community Resource Center
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Regular operating hours
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Tidelands Georgetown Endoscopy Center
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Regular operating hours
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Tidelands Georgetown Orthopaedics
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Health Diabetes Center
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Health Imaging Center
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Health Orthopedics
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Regular operating hours
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Tidelands Heart and Vascular
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Hemingway Medical Center
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Island Family Care
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Med Plus
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Surgical Specialists of Waccamaw at Georgetown
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Surgical Specialists of Waccamaw at Murrells Inlet
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Waccamaw Community Care at Murrells Inlet
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Waccamaw Community Care at Myrtle Beach
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Waccamaw Endoscopy
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Regular operating hours
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Tidelands Waccamaw Family Medicine
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Waccamaw Gastroenterology at Georgetown
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Regular operating hours
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Tidelands Waccamaw Gastroenterology at Murrells Inlet
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Regular operating hours
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Tidelands Waccamaw Medical Center
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Waccamaw Medical Imaging Center
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Waccamaw Oncology at Georgetown
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Waccamaw Oncology at Murrells Inlet
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Waccamaw Oncology at Myrtle Beach
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Waccamaw Women's Imaging Center
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Open until noon
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Tidelands Winyah Women's Center
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Regular operating hours
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