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We’re committed
to a
This expanded mission has taken medi-
cal staff outside the hospital campus to
offer the public free or low-cost screen-
ings, support groups, classes and seminars
designed to get area residents fit and feeling
better.
“We’ve gone from intervention to
prevention,” says BMH President and CEO
Rick Toomey. “Most people don’t realize
how much we do beyond providing acute
care delivered inside the hospital.”
Taking good health to you
In 1998, the hospital’s LifeFit Wellness
Services department launched the
Community Health Improvement Program
(CHiP) to address a wide range of health-
care needs in the community. One of the
most popular services to come out of
the project is the mobile wellness unit, a
50-foot van funded through gifts to the
BMH Foundation. CHiP offers residents
of Beaufort and Jasper counties access to
simple, routine health screenings for free
or at a nominal cost.
The screenings include blood pres-
sure and blood sugar checks; breast, skin
and prostate exams; prostate blood work;
hemoglobin A1C tests; and lipid profile
cholesterol tests.
“We provide about $400,000 in health
screenings to more than 3,500 residents a
year,” says Cindy Coburn Smith, manager
of Beaufort Memorial’s CHiP. “Many of the
people we serve are underinsured and can’t
afford to go to a primary care practice for
these preventive tests.”
Among other CHiP services are a dia-
betes care center and a BMH Foundation-
funded asthma program that features
camps for children and a support group for
adults with asthma, emphysema and other
breathing disorders.
“We’re trying to reach
out and impact the
health of our residents
in a positive way.”
—Rick Toomey, BMH President and CEO
Since opening
its doors 68 years
ago, Beaufort
Memorial has
broadened its
core medical
services to
provide a wide
array of wellness
programs and
health education
aimed at
improving the
well-being of the
community
.
18
Health Scene •
www.bmhsc.org