Skip to Content

Care and Services

  • Emergency Services

Emergency Services

A Tidelands Health physician jacket.

When you're facing an emergency, medical professionals at Tidelands Health respond rapidly with exceptional care that could save your life. That’s why your neighbors report strong satisfaction with the treatment they receive from the skilled, compassionate doctors and nurses in our emergency departments.

When Should I Seek Emergency Care?

Call 911 if you or a loved one experiences any of the following:

A phone with 911 dialed in.Call 911

If you or a loved one experiences a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.

  • Broken bones
  • Chest pain
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Major burns
  • Neck or back injury
  • Persistent vomiting
  • Severe allergic reactions
  • Sudden, intense pain
  • Traumatic injury
  • Trouble breathing
  • Uncontrollable bleeding
  • Unexplained dizziness, weakness or vision problems
  • Very low or very high body temperature

    Vietnam War Veteran and his family.

    Vietnam War veteran still haunted by battle wounds

    While spending time in June with family at his Debordieu vacation home, an infection in Alex Miller’s left toe sent him to the emergency department at Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital.

    Read more.

Top-Quality Treatment for Emergencies

When you receive care at Tidelands Health hospitals for a medical emergency, you’re more likely to survive than at many other hospitals in the nation. You can trust us to provide the best possible outcome of your emergency because we have been nationally recognized for our treatment of:

  • Diabetic emergencies – Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital
  • Heart attack – Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital
  • Respiratory failure – Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital
  • Sepsis – Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital
  • Stroke – Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital

For many conditions, our advanced imaging and radiology tools help your health care team members make a quick, precise diagnosis – which allows them to provide speedy treatment tailored to you.

The speed and quality of our care is one of the reasons why the emergency department at Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital was recognized with the Lantern Award, a prestigious distinction granted to only a few emergency departments around the country each year by the Emergency Nurses Association.

Expert Emergency Staff

The Better Health Podcast logo.

What it's like to work in an ER?

Dr. Michael Ratliffe takes you behind the scenes in the emergency room in this episode of Better Health Podcast.

Listen

All your emergency medicine physicians at Tidelands Health are board-certified or eligible for board certification in emergency medicine, meaning they have advanced training in treating your emergency and follow strict measures to keep you safe. Many of the nurses in our emergency department specialize in emergency nursing, so they’re skilled in quickly and accurately examining you, recognizing life-threatening conditions and using advanced technology to monitor your health and help provide treatment.

Specialized Care in Collaboration with MUSC Health

When you get emergency care at Tidelands Health, you can stay close to home to benefit from the expertise of specialists at MUSC Health. Our hospitals use telehealth technology to communicate via audio and video with MUSC Health physicians, who can help assess your condition and plan your treatment.

Fast-Track Service

If you seek help from our emergency department for an injury or illness that isn’t severe, you may be eligible for our fast-track service. You’ll spend less time waiting for treatment when you qualify for this program, which is available at both Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital and Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital.

Care After Sexual Assault

At Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital, you’ll find our region’s only specially trained sexual assault nurse examiner – or SANE – team. These specialists are available 24 hours a day to help gather DNA evidence from sexual assault survivors and provide access to:

  • Emergency contraception
  • Psychological counseling
  • Testing for sexually transmitted diseases

Related Locations