When Dr. Mellisa Meeks interviewed for her job at MUSC Health Florence Medical Center in 2018, she felt like she'd found a home.

That's a pretty big step for the Wisconsin native, who was working at a hospital in Milwaukee and never been to Florence before she found "the opportunity I was looking for." The feeling was immediate and palpable, she says.

"As soon as I walked through the door, I felt that connection," Meeks says. "The feeling was so inviting. It felt like home. It's an intangible," she says. "The hospital has such a family feel, and it extends throughout the hospital to the bed side.

As Meeks winds up her first year in her role as director of revenue cycle for MUSC Health Florence Medical Center, the connection has only deepened, tempered with pride and optimism over the hospital's acquisition by MUSC Health.

"I think everyone has been excited over the possibilities and what they mean for the patient care, as well as the community and the staff," she says, adding that change is in the air. She says Florence is a very patient-centered hospital, and MUSC's involvement is enhancing that philosophy.

"Already, we're seeing upgrades in our technology that are serving our patients better," Meeks says. "The registration process is smoother and faster, and that matters to patients and their families."

Employees also are being trained in new technologies, a move that gives employees a sense of optimism about their future and additional opportunities. "It's all very thorough," she says. "It’s a feeling of leaving no one behind and making sure that everyone has the tools and training they need to fulfill their role and provide optimal care for patients and their families."

Meeks says the association with MUSC adds more "oomph" to the hospital and a spring in the step of employees who regard themselves as part of the MUSC team.

"Our hospital is known for its patient-centered care," she says. "When we come to work, we're thinking about what we can do to make the patients' day better. Someone coming through the door might be scared or might have been given a terrible diagnosis. They may have a family member who's not doing well, so we, as employees, have to check ourselves at the door and focus only on the patient. They're all that matters."

"Now, having MUSC's brand associated with our care is a wonderful thing."

Chris Ellis isn't on the front lines of health care at MUSC Health Marion Medical Center, but his job is no less vital to the health and well-being of patients and visitors.

That's because Ellis, plant operations supervisor, and his three team members keep the lights on and the power running in the 300,000-square-foot hospital, two medical buildings, three doctors' offices and the Mullins Skilled Nursing Center.

Ellis and his team are on call 24/7 to ensure that the compressors and pumps, the medical air and the medical vacuum are in tiptop shape. There's no margin for error.

"It's a big responsibility, and we strive to make it all work," he says.

Patients and their families are uppermost in Ellis's mind every day.

"We make sure at the end of the day that everybody is cool or warm, that the computers and telephones are working and the lights are on," he says. "I lay my head down at night thinking about anything we can do the next day to better any situation. People come in and they're sick and uncomfortable, and we want to make them as comfortable as we possibly can."

Ellis, who has worked at the hospital in maintenance for 24 years and in his current role for six, says the plant operations team is tight-knit, bound by a common goal shared throughout the hospital.

"We call ourselves family," he says. "Just like at MUSC, they do the best they can at their jobs, and their goal is the same as mine: Help take care of our patients."

Now they're sharing the excitement and pride over the association with MUSC Health. It's the same spirit of confidence and optimism that has spread throughout the community.

"It makes you feel good to go outside and hear positive things about health care in our community. "Everybody was excited," says Ellis, who also serves on the board of the Mullins Greater Chamber of Commerce.

"It can't be anything but positive," he says. "We have the full support of Charleston, and we appreciate everything they do for us."

Ellis says he's thrilled that residents "no longer will have to cross the (Pee Dee) River" for care. "We're expanding what the hospital offers. We have a new cardiologist, and I'll be going to him. More doctors are coming in, and I'm proud that people are choosing this hospital for care."

Ellis says word is getting out that it's a new day with MUSC in town. "MUSC's presence is a game changer," he says. "Its reputation is worldwide. Our patients are coming in and they're hearing good things from the community and from people who've stayed here. I feel like patients are going home happy and well."

"Thanks to MUSC, I think Marion County is going to have health care that they've never seen before."