September 14, 2021
National Physician Suicide Awareness Day - September 17
September 17 is National Physician Suicide Awareness Day (#NPSADay)! #NPSADay is a reminder and call to action to help everyone prevent physician suicide, including health organizations, health systems, hospitals, medical societies and practices. It’s a time to talk — and to act — so physicians’ struggles don’t become mental health emergencies.
August 23, 2021
FDA Approves First COVID-19 Vaccine
Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine, and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older.
August 5, 2021
South Carolina has verified 70 delta variant cases, but it's likely in the thousands.
"We're all getting little numb to the increasing numbers," Albrecht said. "But I just think it's important to remember that these are not numbers, these are our neighbors, family members, friends, our elderly and people in our community whose immune system cannot do this by themselves who depend on you to get vaccinated to protect them."
July 28, 2021
Why the CDC is again turning to masks to help stop COVID-19
The expert physicians and scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are recommending that Americans—even those who are fully immunized with one of the three safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines available in this country—wear masks in indoor public spaces if they live in areas with high or substantial rates of virus transmission.
July 13, 2021
Telehealth use drops for 3rd straight month as patients return to in-person appointments
Americans are slowly returning to medical facilities to receive care and are using fewer telehealth services after last year's pandemic high, according to new data.
July 3, 2021
Coronavirus Pandemic Driving Increase in Healthcare Consolidation
Easing regulatory burdens is crucial to the future of independent physician practices, Richele Taylor, JD, CEO and chief legal officer of the South Carolina Medical Association, told HealthLeaders. "The regulatory burdens are important because it is hard for a new physician to start a practice, and you want to keep independent practices viable especially in rural and underserved areas. It has got to be something they can do. They have got to be able to run a practice while practicing medicine."
June 29, 2021
Advisory: Warning about potent counterfeit Roxicodone® (“blue pills”), dangers of using drugs purchased without prescriptions
The OERT is issuing an alert due to ongoing substance use and overdose activity in Greenwood and Union counties and surrounding areas connected with counterfeit 30 mg Roxicodone® (AKA “blue pills”) containing potent fentanyl.
June 7, 2021
FDA’s Decision to Approve New Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease
The FDA approved Aduhelm (aducanumab) to treat patients with Alzheimer’s disease using the Accelerated Approval pathway.
May 13, 2021
CDC Director Statement on Pfizer’s Use of COVID-19 Vaccine in Adolescents Age 12 and Older
Today, I adopted CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation that endorsed the safety and effectiveness of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and its use in 12- through 15-year-old adolescents. CDC now recommends that this vaccine be used among this population, and providers may begin vaccinating them right away.
