This Women’s History Month we are featuring current and former DHEC employees who have made an impact in our state.
Today we feature, Shirley James, South Carolina’s first Nurse Practitioner.
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In summer 1945, Camp Burnt Gin opened its gates to the first campers. For the camp’s founder, Emily Cate, it was the pinnacle of a career focused on helping and empowering children with disabilities.
Emily Cate was a certified physical therapist with the South Carolina State Board of Health, now the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
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Congratulations to DHEC’s Lowcountry WIC Team who recently had an initiative featured in the Journal of Perinatology!
In 2022, the Lowcountry WIC Service on Wheels (SoW) partnered with the children’s hospital at MUSC in Charleston to offer weekly intake appointments to moms with infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. (NICU). The hospital was selected for a study to evaluate a single center quality improvement (QI) collaborative designed to increase the provision of mother’s own milk (MOM) at discharge to premature infants through evidence-based practices while targeting perinatal health disparities.
This partnership helped improve health equity and access to hospital-grade pumps, and the collaborative increased the percentage of preterm infants receiving MOM at discharge and reduced the number of mothers who discontinue pumping during the NICU hospitalization.
According to the article, “to eliminate transportation barriers, the WIC SOW parked at the hospital entrance and functioned as a mobile clinic for the initial WIC appointment for mothers who qualify for services. Services rendered included a monetary benefit card, maternal health screenings and a Medela Symphony® HGP [breast pump]. Before this study, mothers were anecdotally reporting waiting 2–3 weeks after discharge to obtain pumps from WIC at their local offices.”
Study details and results were published in the December 20, 2023, edition of the Journal of Perinatology.
The SoW program eliminates transportation barriers for parents, guardians, and caretakers, making it easier for them to receive services. It is a mobile unit that provides full WIC services in convenient locations for families in a shorter time and without sitting in a waiting room.
To see if the WIC van will be coming near you, visit https://scdhec.gov/health/women-infants-children-wic-nutrition-program/wic-mobile-van-calendars
Learn more about WIC in South Carolina at scdhec.gov/wic.
January is National Birth Defects Awareness Month. The campaign theme for 2024 is “Every Journey Matters.”
DHEC supports this theme by recognizing that every journey and experience is unique for individuals and families with a birth defect. The South Carolina Birth Defects Program (SCBDP) refers infants with birth defects to early intervention services. Timely referrals are critical to help the child reach developmental milestones. DHEC’s Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs and Family Connection of SC work together to provide coordinated care and support for these families.
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When we think of domestic violence, it’s easy to assume that it happens to other people.
This October, as DHEC observes Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM), we recognize that domestic violence is common and can affect someone you know whether it be a family member, friend, colleague, or even you.
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Live Healthy S.C. 