Tag Archives: Upstate

Upstate Team and Partners Reopen COVID-19 Testing Site

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During peak COVID-19 testing in 2020 and earlier this year, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System (SRHS) operated a thriving drive-through test site at an old Dodge car dealership in downtown Spartanburg.  As testing need decreased, it became impracticable to continue operations at the site.   

As the Delta variant spawned, however, DHEC identified a need for a static test site in Spartanburg.  Capitalizing on an existing relationship, DHEC partnered with SRHS to re-open the former, drive-through, test site.

“Access to services for our communities is at a critical juncture with increasing demand and fewer available resources,” said Dr. Kandi Fredere, the Upstate Region Public Health Director. “It will take creative partnering to sustain services in the coming months.”

The healthcare system provides the location and supportive functions, and DHEC provides the testing team. SRHS was also instrumental in promoting and marketing the site, including an announcement on their weekly Foundation Insider Virtual Event platform.

Less than one week after the need was initially identified, the site was up and running and producing outstanding numbers. In less than seven days of operation, the site completed 3,539 tests.

The site is offers great testing flow and operates Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to 5 p.m.  Visitors do not need an appointment, are not required to have symptoms, and do not need a testing order.

DHEC in the News: Safe sleep, WIC mobile unit, Great Falls whitewater site

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

DHEC provides tips on preventing SIDS and safer infant sleep

COLUMBIA, SC (FOX Carolina) – The SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) is warning parents about sudden infant death syndrome, or SIDS, and providing tips that can make a difference. In South Carolina, six infants die each month from unsafe sleep, DHEC said in a media release. Babies are at risk of sleep-related deaths until they are a year old.

Here are some tips for safer sleep, per DHEC:

  1. ALONE– Babies should sleep alone in their own safe sleep space such as a crib or bassinet with a firm, flat mattress. For the first year of life, baby should have a separate safe sleep space in the parent’s room.
  2. BACK– Always put your baby to sleep on his or her back, both for naps and at night. Placing babies on their backs to sleep is one of the most important ways to prevent SIDS.
  3. CRIB– Make sure that the crib or bassinet you’re using is safety approved by the Consumer Products Safety Commission and that the crib is bare. Remove all pillows, blankets soft toys, or bumpers.

SC DHEC debuts new mobile unit to help Upstate women & children

ANDERSON (AP/FOX Carolina) – A new mobile unit from SC DHEC is helping women make sure their children are getting the nutrients they need.

The van is for the department’s WIC program. WIC stands for woman, infant and children. It gives moms access to the proper nutrients for their children. Women have to qualify to become part of the program. To find out if you qualify, click here.

Duke Energy designs whitewater recreation site in Great Falls

GREAT FALLS, SC (WBTV) – Duke Energy is in the preliminary design phase of a recreational whitewater project. A spokesperson with Duke Energy says they have never done a project like this before.

According to Duke Energy and the Great Falls Hometown Association, the energy giant will construct two whitewater channels along the Catawba River near Fishing Creek Dam. The project will also include three kayaking and canoeing put-ins along a stretch of the Catawba River between the Fishing Creek Dam and just south of the Great Falls Dam.

DHEC Helps SC Schools ‘Stop the Bleed’

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In 2017 the Upstate Healthcare Coalition presented a project to provide stop the bleed kits to all regional schools in the Upstate as part of the Hospital Preparedness Program (HPP) grant funding, through the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). DHEC works with the coalitions to administer this grant.

Coalition WinnerThe Lowcountry, Midlands and Pee Dee Healthcare coalitions decided to implement this project in their regions as well. Spartanburg Regional Health, MUSC, Palmetto Health and Grand Strand Health are partnering with the HPP Health Care Coalitions to help facilitate this project.

The state of South Carolina and the Regional Healthcare Coalitions have received almost $1.06 million in federal grant funding. South Carolina is scheduled to receive more than 18,000 “Stop the Bleed” kits that will be evenly distributed among the four Public Health Preparedness Regions’ school districts.

Public school districts will receive “Stop the Bleed” training and tourniquet kits at no cost to the districts. The tourniquet kits will contain supplies and cuff-like devices that can stop severe traumatic bleeding during an emergency on the school campus or during a school event, enabling lay-people to intervene and potentially save lives in the event of a life-threatening injury. Each district will be allocated tourniquets based on population and will distribute them to the schools.

The model for training and distribution would be to have lead nurses in all participating districts attend train-the-trainer educational sessions, where they would obtain certificates to verify their training status upon completion. Once the lead nurses are trained, a supply of kits will be delivered to their offices for distribution at the district’s discretion (factors include, but are not limited to, the number of schools, school size and the number of buildings, and student volume).

There will be at least one training held in every region. District school nurses would be responsible for training the other nurses in their district.

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DHEC in the News: Flu, park wins national environmental award

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

SC flu deaths more than double in the new year

South Carolina health officials say 15 people have died of the flu so far this season, more than double the number of deaths at this time last year.

The state Department of Health and Environmental Control reported Friday the 15 deaths occurred through Jan. 6.

Upstate businesses combating flu season

As flu season continues to attack the Upstate, workplaces in Spartanburg County are working on ways to keep employees healthy and productivity high.

Sky Foster, BMW Manufacturing Co. Spartanburg’s department manager of corporate communications, said the company plans for flu and cold season months in advance in an effort to keep as many employees as healthy as possible.

Lake Conestee Nature Park wins national environmental award

Lake Conestee Nature Park has been awarded a 2017 Phoenix Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for excellence in brownfield redevelopment.

The award was created in 1997 to honor individuals and groups who are working to solve the critical environmental challenge of transforming blighted and contaminated areas into productive new uses, according to a press release.