Governor Henry McMaster and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced today that South Carolina will advance to Phase 1b of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan beginning Monday, March 8. Phase 1b includes educators, school support staff, student teachers and district substitutes. Lexington-Richland School District Five is partneringContinue Reading
$208 million has been allocated to help propel coronavirus vaccination efforts across South Carolina. The bill that passed in the House on Tuesday provides funding to help in testing and administering the vaccination along with personal protective gear for health workers. Governor McMaster plans on signing the bill into lawContinue Reading
Maria Aulenbacher’s first pandemic was the 1919 Spanish flu. Now 111, South Carolina’s oldest resident wants to be protected for this pandemic, which is why she and her 70-plus daughter and son-in-law all got their COVID-19 vaccines together at Prisma Health. The Upstate family received their first dose of theContinue Reading
By Christy Mason Cox There was a time when nothing could come between hard-charging businesswoman Scheri Force and her stilettos – except perhaps, the switch out to sneakers for her daily workouts. But if Scheri has a motto these days it might be, “Never look back. If Cinderella went backContinue Reading
Prisma Health has restricted patient visitation effective January 9, in the wake of a growing surge of COVID-19 infections across South Carolina. “We know that being with families is itself a healing therapy and so we wrestled with this decision. But we believe this measure is needed in the wakeContinue Reading
The COMET announced Jnauray 13 that a driver of Transportation Care Services (TCS), which operates DART and is a subcontractor of RATP Dev USA, Inc., has tested positive for coronavirus during the routine mandatory testing of all employees. The driver operated a paratransit route January 12 and early January 13.Continue Reading
Prisma Health is administering the monoclonal antibody treatments, Bamlanivimab and Regeneron, to high-risk COVID-19 patients in the Midlands and Upstate. Both drugs have not been approved but was authorized for emergency use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The treatment can be used in patients who are 12 yearsContinue Reading
With COVID-19 surging across the country, families are struggling with decisions about the upcoming holiday season — weighing concerns about the safety of gathering with the desire to spend time with friends and relatives. For families who have a loved one with Alzheimer’s or another dementia, these decisions can feelContinue Reading
Prisma Health continues to provide innovative care for Heart Failure patients and is proud to lead the country in implementation of the CardioMEMS HF System, a wireless device that allows heart failure patients to monitor their pulmonary artery pressure from the comfort of their home. Since its initial launch atContinue Reading
Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital has earned the national distinction of being named a 2020 Leapfrog Top General Hospital. The Leapfrog Group annually recognizes hospitals achieving the highest standards of excellence in quality and safety by honoring them as a Top Hospital. Fewer than 6 percent of all eligible facilitiesContinue Reading
By W. Thomas Smith Jr. The Richland County Sheriff’s Dept. (RCSD) was selected by the S.C. Dept. of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) to be the pilot agency for a COVID-testing program in which first responders will be tested quickly on a large scale with little notice. “DHEC notified usContinue Reading