FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
May 9, 2023

COLUMBIA, S.C. – As National Hospital Week (May 7-13) is recognized across the country, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) praises South Carolina’s hospitals and healthcare workers for their courageous and caring roles in protecting people’s health. Healthcare workers are a fundamental part of DHEC’s mission to support healthy people living in healthy communities.

While healthcare professionals and support staff work on the frontlines to provide essential services to South Carolinians, DHEC has an important responsibility to ensure the state’s healthcare facilities provide their services safely and reliably. DHEC’s Healthcare Quality Directorate regulates almost 3,000 health facilities across the state, including hospitals, home health agencies, ambulatory surgical facilities, nursing homes, community residential care facilities, and more. 

“Our state's hospital workers are invaluable,” said Gwendolyn Thompson, DHEC Director of Healthcare Quality. “We at DHEC send a resounding thank-you to all of our state’s medical professionals and hospital support staff, and we also recognize our own DHEC employees who work every day to help oversee that safe operations and quality care are provided at our state’s various healthcare facilities.” 

In addition to its regulatory authority, DHEC works collaboratively with the state’s hospital systems and the South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA) to promote disease prevention, individual care, and other resources that help keep South Carolinians healthy. 

“In addition to providing lifesaving care, South Carolina’s hospitals and health systems provide more than 70,000 jobs with a $28 billion economic impact on the state,” said Thornton Kirby, President and CEO of SCHA. “For many communities, hospitals are the largest employer and critical public health partners with a range of community benefits from charity care to prevention programs. We are grateful for our hospitals and the people who work there every day, but we love them even more during Hospital Week.”

South Carolina currently has 107 licensed hospitals staffed with nurses, doctors, practitioners, and a variety of staff members who provide medical care and services to patients.

“South Carolina is very fortunate to have outstanding hospitals across our state providing care to our more than five million residents,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC Director. “We greatly appreciate the contributions they make to ensuring the health of South Carolinians, and especially the healthcare workers who provide that care and are a source of comfort to patients and their families. We also appreciate our collaboration with the SCHA and its leadership.”

Since 1953, National Hospital Week has spotlighted hospitals, health care systems and medical professionals who work to save and protect people’s lives. The timing of Hospital Week coincides with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, a 19th-century pioneer of nursing and health care whose activism helped reform and improve medical treatment and patient care. 

Learn more about South Carolina’s hospitals at scha.org, and learn more about DHEC’s role with licensing hospitals and health care facilities at scdhec.gov. An interactive database of all DHEC-licensed healthcare facilities is available using the Find-a-Facility online tool.

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