Photo above: London Marie Gary became the 100th baby born at the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Collins Birthing Center when she arrived at 6:29 p.m. on Aug. 29. Mom, Melanie Queen, of Beaufort, and baby are both doing great, and by midnight Aug. 31, the birthing center’s dedicated team had delivered 11 more babies. According to the staff, it’s been over three years since the last time they topped 100 births in a single month. Photo courtesy of Charlotte Berkeley Photography.
Health & Wellness Expo to be held Sept. 14
A Health & Wellness Expo sponsored by the Beaufort Regional Chamber of Commerce will be held from 4-7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14, at Tabby Place in downtown Beaufort.
Guests will learn about the businesses that help make Beaufort County the healthiest county in the state.
For booth inquiries, contact LaNelle at LaNelle@BeaufortSC.org or 843-525-8537.
Foundation has new VP chief development officer
Deborah Schuchmann has been named chief development officer of the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation, replacing Alice Moss, who led the nonprofit organization for 30 years before retiring earlier this summer.
“Debbie understands the critical role the Foundation plays in helping Beaufort Memorial stay at the forefront of medicine and provide the kind of high-quality care the community has come to expect,” said BMH President and CEO Russell Baxley. “She has been incredibly successful in raising awareness of the hospital’s needs and engaging the support of donors.”
Schuchmann takes the top post after serving less than a year as the Foundation’s director of special gifts. In her first six months on the job, she secured three major donations and several estate gifts for upgrades to the hospital.
“There’s still a huge amount of opportunity to build a culture of philanthropy for health care in Beaufort,” Schuchmann said. “I want people to see their gifts to the hospital as an investment in their community whether they live here full or part time.”
Schuchmann came to Beaufort Memorial with 15 years’ experience in development, most of it in the healthcare field. Prior to joining the hospital, she served as chief development officer for Macon Volunteer Clinic in Georgia.
Schuchmann was past president of the Georgia Association of Development Professionals, an entity of the Georgia Association of Healthcare. In 2011, the Georgia Hospital Association honored her with the Great Ambassador Award. She also received the Strawberry Award for excellent customer service from the Medical Center of Central Georgia, where she worked for 12 years.
A graduate of the University of Georgia with a B.S. in Education, Schuchmann was a public school teacher in Macon for 11 years before segueing into the field of healthcare as a staff development instructor at the local community hospital. During her six-year tenure with Medical Center of Central Georgia, she earned a Master’s of Healthcare Administration from Mercer University in Atlanta.
After a brief move to Mobile, Ala., Schuchmann returned to the Medical Center of Central Georgia to take the newly created position of major gifts and planned giving officer. In 2012, she was promoted to senior development officer.
“With cuts in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements, donor support is more important than ever,” Schuchmann said. “Gifts to the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation are used to provide high-quality health care close to home.”
To reach Schuchmann at the Beaufort Memorial Hospital Foundation, call 843-522-5722.
