ADCs provide – 4-14 hours of daily care, including, recreational activities, arts & crafts, discussion groups, meals and day trips.
ADCs are not the same as long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities. An ADC will normally operate during normal business hours, while some may offer evening or weekend hours. Some ADCs specialize and cater to specific populations such as those with developmental disability or those in need of memory care.
DHEC proudly recognizes National Recovery Month in September, and all of those with substance use disorders who are seeking treatment, along with the 14 inpatient and 88 outpatient facilities for chemically dependent or addicted persons (CDAP) in SC. These patients, their loved ones, CDAP facilities, and a myriad of recovery organizations continue to work together to offer the best quality of care.
Stigmas associated with substance use make people afflicted with addictions fearful of coming forward. Our collective mission with CDAP facilities is to remove shame, help those suffering, and to make treatment opportunities as accessible as possible.
September is National Preparedness Month. DHEC recognizes the critical role healthcare facilities play in preparing for natural disasters while still responding to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Since 2015, South Carolina has seen historic floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes in our state According to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division (SCEMD), SC remains one of the most vulnerable in the nation to be impacted by hurricanes and tropical storms due to our six coastal counties bordering the Atlantic Ocean.
Various Agency Coordinating Centers (ACCs) in our agency have been activated since Governor McMaster first declared a state of emergency due to COVID-19 back on March 13, 2020. These ACCs are staffed with experts and dedicated staff working with a myriad of program areas across DHEC, relevant state agencies, healthcare facilities, healthcare professionals, and the public. More recently, updating emergency evacuation plans has been at the forefront to strategically respond to any future natural disasters.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 46% of all car seats are misused. To help combat this issue, NHTSA and DHEC are recognizing Child Passenger Safety Week from September 20-26, 2020, a campaign dedicated to helping parents and caregivers make sure their children ride as safely as possible — every trip, every time.
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading killer of children, according to NHTSA, and while fatalities declined from 2017 to 2018 (the most recent data available), there is still work to be done to completely eliminate these preventable tragedies. Car seats, booster seats, and seat belts can make all the difference in saving lives.
Children are often moved to the front seat before they should, which increases the risk of injury and death, even if that child is buckled up. The safest place for all kids under 13 is in the back seat. NHTSA reported that, in 2015, about 25.8% of children 4 to 7 who should have been riding in booster seats were prematurely moved to seat belts, and 11.6% were unbuckled altogether.
National Assisted Living Week is September 13-19 . This year’s theme is “Caring is Essential,” DHEC recognizes the amount of hard work, care and love that it takes to keep South Carolina’s assisted living facilities operational and its residents happy and healthy.
Assisted Living Facilities,also known as Community Residential Care Facilities (CRCFs) in SC, are designed to accommodate residents’ independence, changing needs and preferences and come in a wide range of sizes
CRCFs are not the same as nursing homes, and offer different healthcare. CRCFs are not designed to offer round the clock care for their residents and are not required to have any licensed personnel on staff.. CRCFs offer assistance with items such as medication management, meals, and supportive services such as laundry or transportation.
“Many CRCFs have been impacted and faced challenges with COVID-19. Various areas of DHEC remain in constant communication with the facilities to provide guidance and assistance. Maintaining relationships with facilities is crucial to the DHEC’s mission, said JoMonica Taylor, Interim Section Manager for Residential Facilities Oversight.
During the pandemic, Healthcare Quality has conducted a total of 84 Infection Control Focused inspections at CRCFs. Due to the high risk of COVID-19 to the vulnerable population in congregate settings and the spread of COVID-19 throughout SC, Governor McMaster ordered DHEC to restrict visitation at CRCFs in March 2020. The facilities have shown resiliency during these trying times and great creativity in problem solving. In lieu of visitations, facilities have incorporated closed-window visits, virtual visitation through tablets, and phone calls. During holidays, some facilities coordinated drive-by parades for residents to enjoy.
On September 1, 2020, in coordination with the Governor’s Office, DHEC partially lifted the visitation restrictions by issuing guidelines for limited outdoor visitation, with the intent to issue more guidelines that further lift visitation restrictions in coming weeks.
More facts about CRCFs
There are 497 licensed CRCFs in South Carolina.
There are over 150 CRCFs with Memory Care Units for residents suffering from dementia.
CRCFs are inspected annually
3 new CRCFs have opened in SC during the pandemic
DHEC agrees that Caring is Essential, and thanks CRCFs for all that they do. These essential facilities and their staff provide a service to their communities that directly contributes to DHEC’s vision, healthy people living in healthy communities.
”We are incredibly grateful for the cooperation and patience of families and staff at these facilities, both of whom continue do to the best that they can to keep residents connected with loved ones as our state continues to respond to the pandemic,” Taylor said.
For more information on assisted living facilities, please explore the links below:
Live Healthy S.C. 