MURRELLS INLET, SC (WBTW) – South Carolina could see up to one million visitors as the eclipse crosses the United States on Monday, August 21.
Tidelands Health said because of the increase in tourists, they expect an increase in demand for medical care.
“We are ready,” said VP of Marketing for Tidelands Health, Amy Stevens. “We know that we’re right where our community needs us to be if people have an issue.”
Tidelands has put together a multi-pronged plan to prepare for the event including increasing ER staff on Monday and stocking up on supplies.
“There’s going to be so many people here and everybody’s going to be very excited and maybe not thinking about normal safety precautions they might always take,” added Stevens.
One of the supplies the hospital is stocking up on is snake anti-venom.
“Folks may be parking in fields and overgrown areas and there are a lot of critters in those overgrown areas,” said Stevens. “We just want people to think about those things. Don’t do something on eclipse day that you wouldn’t do on any other day.”
Doctors and nurses are also prepared for an increase in patients suffering from heat exposure or eye damage.
“The reality of the eye damage from an eclipse is that it’s not really reversible so that’s why these glasses are so important,” added Stevens.
“The goal of our eclipse planning is to prepare for a wide variety of possible scenarios,” said Director of Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness for Tidelands Health, Patrick Devlin, in a media release. “We want to make sure we have the resources ready to support the community and our patients.”
Most Tidelands Health outpatient locations will be closed on Monday afternoon so patients will not have to travel on busy roads. However, hours have been extended other days of the week to accommodate appointments.
Below is a list of Tidelands Health outpatient locations and operating hours for Aug. 21:
| Tidelands NextStep Wound Healing Center at Murrells Inlet | Open until 11 a.m. |
| Tidelands NextStep Wound Healing Center at Georgetown | Open until noon |
| Tidelands NextStep Pain Management Services at Georgetown | Open until noon |
| Tidelands NextStep Pain Management Services at Murrells Inlet | Closed |
| Infusion Services | Open until noon |
| Tidelands NextStep Rehabilitation Services | All locations open until noon except for Carolina Forest and North Myrtle Beach locations, which will have regular operating hours |
| Tidelands HealthPoint Center for Health and Fitness | Regular operating hours |
| Tidelands Francis B. Ford Cancer Treatment Center | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Cancer Center at Murrells Inlet | Open until noon |
| MUSC Neurosciences at Tidelands Health | Regular operating hours |
| Tidelands Andrews Medical Center | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Coastal Carolina Breast Center at Georgetown | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Coastal Carolina Breast Center at Murrells Inlet | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Coastal Carolina Breast Center at Myrtle Beach | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Health Community Resource Center | Regular operating hours |
| Tidelands Georgetown Endoscopy Center | Regular operating hours |
| Tidelands Georgetown Orthopaedics | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Health Diabetes Center | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Health Imaging Center | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Health Orthopedics | Regular operating hours |
| Tidelands Heart and Vascular | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Hemingway Medical Center | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Island Family Care | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Med Plus | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Surgical Specialists of Waccamaw at Georgetown | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Surgical Specialists of Waccamaw at Murrells Inlet | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Community Care at Murrells Inlet | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Community Care at Myrtle Beach | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Endoscopy | Regular operating hours |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Family Medicine | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Gastroenterology at Georgetown | Regular operating hours |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Gastroenterology at Murrells Inlet | Regular operating hours |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Medical Center | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Medical Imaging Center | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Oncology at Georgetown | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Oncology at Murrells Inlet | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Oncology at Myrtle Beach | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Waccamaw Women’s Imaging Center | Open until noon |
| Tidelands Winyah Women’s Center | Regular operating hours |
