Celebrating What Makes Highlands-Cashiers Hospital and Eckerd Living Center Excellent

Written By: Tom Neal RN, MBA, MHA, CEO/CNO, Highlands-Cashiers Hospital | Issue: July 2023

Tom Neal

Dedication. Expertise. Diverse experience. Curiosity. Deep compassion.

All of these terms describe those who choose careers in hospitals, whether they are caregivers, environmental services professionals, nutrition department team members, pharmacists, or administrators. No matter what department someone works in at Highlands-Cashiers Hospital or Eckerd Living Center, our community can be assured that caring for our patients and ensuring their comfort are their foremost concerns, every day.

There are few examples of community institutions that I can think of that have more investment in the quality of life of its residents than a hospital. Highlands-Cashiers Hospital and Eckerd Living Center are places of healing, fellowship, support, and involvement. In our community, it’s the norm for people – our own team members and the members of our community (members of which often overlap) – to come together to make our community healthier.

This may be visiting your primary care physician for your annual wellness exam or a preventive screening like a mammogram or colonoscopy. Or it may be our participation in a community-wide health event, like the Covid-19 vaccine initiative or educating the public about health issues at events such as the Highland Mountaintop Art and Craft Fair, where we’ll be offering BMI and blood glucose screenings, as well as a teddy bear “hospital” for the kids.

Since we strive to see each opportunity to care for a patient or resident as unique — because everyone is — we approach every task as a heartfelt commitment.

Whether you visit us with an urgent need for care in our Emergency Department or you are coming to see a loved one recovering from surgery, our aim is to make your experience here a positive and memorable one.

For example, when a nurse stays a few more minutes to trade a story, share a laugh, or hold a patient’s hand, the impression and experiential memory that remains with a patient is pivotal to how they perceive who we are. In other words, our integrity is measured just as much through intangibles as data-driven patient outcomes.

We are fortunate to be able to care for our patients with the most sophisticated tools we have available, from state-of-the-art imaging technology to offering surgical services provided by extraordinarily skilled and caring surgeons.

After a capital investment from HCA Healthcare, we are preparing to get upgraded CT and MRI machines, which will enable our caregivers to provide even better care to our patients, as they remain close to home. This new equipment brings the most advanced medical technology to the Plateau.

For example, the new CT has the ability to provide cardiac imaging, which will allow our doctors to quickly scan the heart to help diagnose coronary artery disease. The new scanners are much faster and will reduce scan times.

As always, every Highlands-Cashiers Hospital and Eckerd Living Center team member is grateful that our community members put their trust in us. Our people are the heart of what we do, and I couldn’t feel prouder of them.