Frequently asked questions 

1.  Why is there a need for funding at McLeod for these projects?

• Capital projects totaling $185 million, which address some of the most critical health care needs for our region through the year 2015, will be funded in three ways.
  
  i.      Bonds have been issued for $100 million
  
  ii.     $75 million will be funded internally from savings
  
  iii.    $10 million will need to be secured through philanthropy
  
  
• With expected margins, $10 million in philanthropy translates into revenue from services in the amount of $167 million.

2.  What improved services will be provided by the creation of the new Cancer Center?

•  One major benefit will be the relocation of all services needed by a patient facing a cancer diagnosis to one location.  This is not only a convenience but is essential as patients and their families deal with the many effects of cancer treatment.
• There will be improved services for IV Therapy as a new more comfortable and expanded area will be available.
• The latest technology in Radiation Oncology will be available with the addition of the state-of-the-art Stereotactic Radiosurgery.  This very specialized equipment will allow for the treatment of cancer not generally accessible through traditional surgery.  It is a highly focused ionized beam that will obliterate the desired target while leaving adjacent structures nearly unaffected.  It will be the only such equipment in the area and McLeod will become a referral location from around the state.
• Patient education and resources will be an important part of the care available in the Cancer Center.  A convenient resource center and dedicated personal cancer nurse navigators will be an essential aspect of the continuum of care.
• Meeting space will be located within the Cancer Center for the Cancer Committee.  This committee made up of physicians from all specialties relating to a cancer patient's treatment meet with nurse navigators and other medical professionals to map out the appropriate plan of care for newly diagnosed patients.
• Administration and key medical staff have visited Cancer Centers all over the country with the goal to provide a world class cancer center for our region of SC. Those visited include Johns Hopkins (Baltimore, MD), Moffitt (Tampa, FL), Park Nicolette (St. Louis Park, MN.), M D. Anderson (Orlando, FL), MUSC (Charleston, SC), Baptist Cancer Center (Jacksonville, FL), Riverside(Newport News, VA), University of Alabama Cancer Center (Birmingham, AL) and Aultman Healthcare (Canton, OH). 

3.  Why did McLeod begin by building parking decks?

• Parking has continued to be an inconvenience for patients and visitors to McLeod. To address those needs and to ensure as little disruption as possible to our visitors during construction, McLeod made the decision to immediately provide two parking decks on the MRMC campus.
• The first is to the right of the McLeod Tower and the second in front of the Medical Office Building West. This second parking deck will connect directly to the new Cancer Center via a pedestrian bridge.
• The parking deck will also play a significant role in the construction plans for the new Intensive Care Tower which will be located between the McLeod Tower and McLeod Pavilion.
• A grant has been applied for to help with the funding of these parking decks.

4.  Why does McLeod have so many construction projects underway at the same time?

• Long-range planning to provide for the health care needs of our region is an essential part of meeting McLeod's mission.  The Board of Trustees has approved a plan to guide the institution through 2015.
• The McLeod Tower which was state-of-the-art in 1979(the only hospital with all private rooms in SC) is now in need of many updates.  This construction will ensure rooms that are fully wheel chair accessible and large enough to be comfortable for families to room in while providing space for staff to provide care with the latest equipment.
• An ICU (Intensive Care Unit) Tower will be constructed to the most modern standards and be more accessible to both floors and Operating Suites.  It will also expand the availability of this very vital care.
• An emphasis in all construction projects has been to take advantage of recessionary construction costs and to fully incorporate existing structures in order to maximize savings and improve patient flow.

5.  How will gifts made to the One Vision, One Future Campaign benefit those who are underserved medically or have few resources?

 McLeod Cancer Clinic

• While its origins date back to the 1930s, the McLeod Cancer Clinic became structured in the mid-1950s in Florence, South Carolina. During this decade, it officially opened to the community as a South Carolina state-funded program. For many years, the McLeod Cancer Clinic has provided charity cancer treatment to thousands of patients in the community who have no ability to pay for their healthcare. In 2004, the state ended all funding to the five hospitals that operated cancer treatment centers. Four of the five hospitals have since closed their cancer clinics. However, McLeod Health realized the tremendous need for the cancer clinic, and decided to continue serving its community. Therefore, the McLeod Cancer Clinic is the only indigent care cancer clinic that remains open and continues to provide charity care services to the underserved populations.
• Currently, the McLeod Cancer Clinic has three employees: a social worker, a registered nurse, and a clerk. There are six board certified medical oncologists who volunteer their time to work with the patients. Also, there are five registered nurses who provide routine volunteer services.
• The major source of funding for the McLeod Cancer Clinic is McLeod Health. From October 2007 to September 2009, McLeod Health provided $1,183,943.00 in free care to McLeod Cancer Clinic patients
• Today, it is still unique in that it is the only not-for-profit free cancer clinic in the state. It provides state-of-the-art cancer treatment and a standard of care which otherwise would not be available to a vulnerable population. The clinic has the only radiation oncology program that accepts non-funded patients in the entire area. In fact, the McLeod Cancer Clinic is a component of the region's only program approved as a "Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Program" by the American College of Surgeons.

McLeod Hospice House

• All patients are accepted on to the McLeod Hospice program and as patients at the McLeod Hospice House regardless of their coverage or ability to pay.

McLeod Medical Center Dillon Emergency Department

• As in many small, rural communities, lack of primary care and poverty have made Emergency Departments the only care available to many patients who have no health care coverage or few resources. The Emergency Department in Dillon will improve accessibility for this patient population.