New gift shop highlights renewed energy at Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital

A ribbon-cutting Wednesday morning marked more than the opening of a new gift shop at Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital. With employee partners and guests looking on, hospital leaders celebrated another step in Tidelands Health’s effort to revitalize the Georgetown facility and renew confidence among employee partners, providers and the wider community.

(L-r) Drew Grey, Megan Dallas, Caitlyn Green, Brooke Howard, Ashley Capps, Jay Hinesley, Wanda Prevatte, Lynne Benco and Alyson Merryman.

“Our goal is to make sure Georgetown residents know they can get high-quality care right here,” said Brooke Howard, vice president of Operations at Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital.

Each year, Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital records approximately 30,000 emergency department visits and 140,000 outpatient visits, reflecting the vital role the hospital plays in meeting the community’s health care needs.

Those efforts include adding surgeons and orthopedic physicians who now practice in Georgetown, reopening the surgery pavilion that had been closed since the COVID-19 pandemic and relocating the skilled care unit to provide a dayroom for short-term recovery patients. 

The hospital has also received several national recognitions in recent months for its commitment to excellent cardiovascular care, transparency and age-friendly care for older adults.

“The gift shop complements other work throughout the facility to update spaces and create a more welcoming environment for patients’ families, employee partners and providers,” Howard said. “It also offers convenience and a place to take a break from the stresses of a hospital visit.”

Howard, who has worked in hospital administration for 18 years, is overseeing renovations and new programs designed to enhance medical care in Georgetown. In addition to the hospital’s robust gastrointestinal services, plans include launching a therapy dog program, expanding mammography services and eventually reopening the Harris Pavilion, the hospital’s former main entrance. Reopening the pavilion will make treatment areas more convenient for patients and their loved ones to access.

For Howard, each improvement supports the same vision for the patient experience. “My hope is that everyone who walks into our hospital feels like they are a guest in our home,” she said.

Tidelands Health CEO Jay Hinesley credited Howard’s leadership with bringing renewed energy to the hospital and helping revitalize the campus. “They have needed someone like Brooke for quite some time, and she is doing a wonderful job,” Hinesley said.