Tag Archives: EMT

DHEC in the News: HPV, flu, critical need for more emergency medical professionals

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

This virus causes 31,500 cancers annually but few complete the vaccine to prevent it

Vaccination rates against HPV remain low in South Carolina, according to the national Blue Cross Blue Shield association, despite a wide acceptance by doctors as a key in preventing cervical and other types of cancer.

Gardasil had been administered in three doses until 2016, when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended two doses of the same vaccine for adolescents. The Blue Cross study examined the percentage of children who got the first dose by the time they were 10 and the percentage who had gotten the final dose three years later.

Urgent care chain expanding as flu cases spike

As flu cases and related deaths continue to increase in South Carolina ahead of the peak flu season, urgent care facilities like American Family Care are rapidly expanding and opening more clinics in the Upstate.

American Family Care opened its newest location on Friday in Boiling Springs to help meet the surge in patients dealing with the flu or flu-like symptoms.

Fire chief: Critical need for medic professionals in York Co.

YORK COUNTY, S.C. — A local fire chief is speaking out about the lack of medical resources in the area.

City of York Fire Chief Domenic Manera tells NBC Charlotte his firefighters are also licensed EMTs, because the closest hospital is more than 20 minutes away. …

Chief Manera says there is a critical need for medic professionals in the western York County.

DHEC in the News: mass trauma triage kits, Folly Beach Irma recovery

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

Upstate firefighters equipped with color-coded triage kits for mass trauma situations

GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) – As a firefighter and EMT, Chris Hearn has seen a lot.

“When you’re actually doing it, I guess adrenaline kicks in and you don’t think about it,” Chris Hearn said.

He’s a firefighter with the Boiling Springs Fire Department in Greenville County and has worn the uniform for more than 20 years.

“It just comes natural,” he said.

He hopes a day like the chaos and mass shooting in Las Vegas never happens in the Upstate. However, if it does he and other firefighters are ready.

General Interest

Winds, waves cause new erosion at Folly Beach as city works on Irma recovery

FOLLY BEACH — New erosion has added to the island’s post-storm woes.

The beach near the pier has “scarping.” It drops o a foot or more close to the sea. Three days of steady northeast winds and strong surf played a role.

“Any setback right now is bigger than it would be otherwise just because of what we just went through,” said Mayor Tim Goodwin.

Tropical Storm Irma caused severe erosion when it hit in mid-September. Dunes from the east to the west end of the island were reduced or destroyed. Goodwin said the beach loss was worse than from Hurricane Matthew a year ago.

DHEC in the News: Eastern Equine Encephalitis, City of Beaufort flooding problems, EMT and paramedic shortage

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

DHEC confirms case of Triple E Virus in Conway area

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – Aerial mosquito spraying took place Thursday night in a neighborhood in the Conway area after it was a confirmed that a horse died a few weeks ago from the Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus, according to Horry County officials.

Kelly Brosky, interim spokesperson for Horry County, said it is the only confirmed case of the Triple E Virus locally so far this year.

City of Beaufort to fix flooding problems with new task force

BEAUFORT, SC. (WSAV) – Tropical Storm Irma brought flooding to homes across the City of Beaufort, many families had just moved back in after recovering from Matthew’s flooding 11 months earlier.

“We’ve had people who’ve lost their houses twice in one year, that’s wrong,” said Mayor Billy Keyserling.

That’s why the state, county and, city are taking action. South Carolina State Representative Shannon Erickson put together a task force at the beginning of September to survey the issues and find a permanent solution.

South Carolina faces EMT and paramedic shortage, HGTC program answers to needs

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – A statewide meeting was held Wednesday to discuss the shortage of EMT and paramedic-trained professionals in South Carolina.

Officials within the health field and the Department of Health and Environmental Control are working on ways to solve the problem.

DHEC in the News: EMT jobs, WiseWoman health screenings, Narcan

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

EMS Officials Working With Technical College System to Fill EMT Jobs

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO)- Agencies from around the state made their way to Columbia to discuss how to raise the number of emergency medical technicians.

“We have a shortage in South Carolina. People tend to be educate in South Carolina, become EMTs in South Carolina, and then not stick around. We have a decline every single year in the amount of paramedics that we have in the state,” DHEC EMS Bureau Chief Robert Wronski. “This year we have seen a 1.2 percent decrease in the amount of credentialed paramedics that we have in the state.”

RMC offers free WiseWoman health screenings

The Regional Medical Center and the Tri-County Health Network will offer free WiseWoman™ health screenings and lifestyle education to 200 women ages 40-64 on Saturday, Oct. 14. Doors open at 8 a.m., with screenings available from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at the RMC Annex.

The WiseWoman™ (Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for WOMen Across the Nation) health screening aims to help low-income women reduce their risk for heart disease, stroke and diabetes.

Horry County Sheriff’s Deputies will now carry Narcan

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) – For the first time, the Horry County Sheriff’s Office will begin using Narcan.

The Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Law Enforcement Officer Naloxone (LEON) program, which is a partnership between South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC), South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS), and the 5th Circuit Solicitor’s Office for Narcan training on Tuesday and Wednesday.