MURRELLS INLET, SC (WBTW) – The Tidelands Health Breast Care Center received a national accreditation for their treatment and service to breast cancer patients.
Dr. Craig Brackett is the medical director of the center. He said their goal is to be able to provide high-quality breast cancer treatment to people living on the Grand Strand, so women don’t have to deal with the stress of cancer while also being away from home.
“When you’re not feeling well already, you don’t want to spend anymore time traveling, or doing overnight stays,” said patient Tracy Brown.
“I could go home and sleep in my own bed every night, and not have to keep that back and forth, or waiting to get in if something was wrong.”
When first diagnosed, Brown said she flew across the country to get opinions on where to go for the best possible treatment. She was considering having treatment done in a bigger city, like Dallas, Texas.
“Going across the country only confirmed that I could get the same treatment in a big city that I could get right here at home.”
Dr. Brackett said they were evaluated in 29 different categories, and Tidelands Health is the only community hospital in the state to have a national accreditation at the breast care center.
“Breast cancer treatments have changed so much, but accreditation validates we’ve kept up with the changes that are going on in breast care,” said Dr. Brackett. “That really gives them peace of mind that they know we’re going to conferences, we’re reading and studying, and keeping up with the latest techniques.”
Dr. Brackett said through new technology, they have been able to cut down the amount of women needing chemotherapy by 46 percent. They also have 3D mammography that allows doctors to detect breast cancer a lot sooner in women. The accreditation was given by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers.
