South Georgia Medical Center hosted its first annual Girls Just Wanna Have Brunch event to empower women to take charge of their health during Breast Cancer Awareness month. The inaugural brunch raised more than $11,000 to support women's health initiatives.  

SGMC has made remarkable strides in healthcare delivery specifically for women within the past two years. This is largely in part due to an increased focus on enhanced access, quality, and patient satisfaction across the health system.  

"Statistics show us that women make the majority of healthcare decisions. Women also play many other vital roles in their family unit, which may result in their own healthcare needs taking a backseat," says Emily Wetherington, Administrative Director of the Pearlman Cancer Center. "We at SGMC want to make it easy for women to prioritize their healthcare so they can be the best version of themselves to those around them."    

Women have varying health needs throughout their life stages. The Breast Center and the Birthplace are two cornerstones of SGMC's commitment to women's health in the region.    

In March 2022, SGMC established a comprehensive breast center under the leadership of Dr. Harvey Miller, Chief Clinical Quality Director at SGMC. Dr. Miller works with multidisciplinary teams to enhance processes and decrease the time between imaging, diagnostics, and treatment for breast cancer.    

In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness month, SGMC launched online scheduling for mammograms without a requirement for a physician order. SGMC also offers convenient Saturday appointments for mammograms during its quarterly Mammos and Mocktails events.     

The Birthplace has expanded its services to offer moms-to-be an individualized birthing experience based on their needs.  Lara Davis BSN, RNC-OB, C-EFM, has taken on the new role of Women's Care Coordinator following 15 years as a labor and delivery nurse. Davis meets with parents to offer tours, prepare birth plans, provide resources, and guide them through any questions about SGMC's Women and Infants services.  

SGMC has a full-service maternity center with experienced staff trained to take care of mothers and babies before, during, and after delivery. In addition to the Care Coordinator, SGMC offers 24-hour obstetrician, anesthesiology, and neonatology coverage, a lactation consultant, a nursing team, and a certified car seat safety technician. SGMC is one of only three hospitals in Georgia to offer AngelEye Health, a secure video surveillance to connect families with their newborns. The health system also offers monthly parenting classes for epidural, breastfeeding, and childbirth. SGMC welcomes more than 2,000 babies annually.  

"SGMC is grateful for the generosity of our corporate sponsors and individuals who recognize the importance of a healthy community," said SGMC Vice President and Chief Development Officer Hilary Gibbs. "We look forward to expanding concierge services to other aspects of women's health to include primary care, cardiology, and obstetrics."    

For more information on any of these programs, visit sgmc.org.