Tag Archives: Bluffton

DHEC in the News: Recycling e-waste, a new emergency department, preventing Hepatitis C

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

Keep Aiken Green: Know how to recycle e-waste in Aiken County

After birthdays and holidays, once new televisions, new PS4s, new Xbox Ones, new computers, new sound systems and more settle in, the old ones tend to be done away with.

But where those unwanted electronics actually go, according to the state health and environment department, is of utmost importance.

 Bluffton residents will soon have a shorter drive to an emergency room

In response to the Hardeeville area’s budding population, Coastal Carolina Hospital is moving forward with a plan to build a $15 million freestanding emergency department.

The proposed 10,000-square-foot facility will operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and will feature 12 private treatment areas, including one trauma treatment room.

General Interest

CDC says addiction treatment, syringe service programs are key in preventing spread of Hep C

During an infectious disease prevention webcast Tuesday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the key to preventing the spread of hepatitis C is greater access to prevention services.

The CDC said access to safe injection equipment and treatment for drug addiction can lower transmission risks by more than 70 percent.

DHEC in the News: Stormwater drainage inspections, stroke center accreditation, expansion of diabetes prevention program

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Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

Town of Bluffton begins stormwater drainage inspections

If Bluffton residents see engineers working around their neighborhood drains or ponds, it’s likely because of a federally-mandated inspection of the town’s stormwater drainage systems.

The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control has been running tests on the May River and its waterways for the past few years because of fecal bacterial pollutants that have been found in the watershed.

Carolinas Hospital System receives Stroke Center Accreditation

FLORENCE, SC – Carolinas Hospital System has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval for stroke care by The Joint Commission. The advanced certification, as a Primary Stroke Center from The Joint Commission, recognizes the hospital’s commitment to the highest standards in the country for stroke care.

“This certification is a national recognition of Carolinas Hospital System’s excellence in caring for strokes,” said Gary Malaer, CEO. Stroke is the nation’s fifth leading cause of death.

General Interest

AMA Expanding Diabetes Prevention Program to Eight More States

The American Medical Association announced an expanded, multi-state effort that aims to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes nationwide. It builds off AMA’s initial work to prevent new cases of type 2 diabetes in California, Michigan, and South Carolina and expands that to similar statewide efforts in eight additional states to help reach more of the 84 million American adults who unknowingly live with prediabetes — the precursor to type 2 diabetes.