The coastal region thrives as tourists and residents enjoy the splendor of the sandy beaches and islands, and Charleston serves as the state's impressive cultural center. South Carolina covers 30,109 square miles, with a 2008 estimated population of 4,479,800 people – with 1,060,529 living in rural South Carolina (USDA-ERS). Columbia is the state capital. The state’s largest cities are Columbia, Charleston, and North Charleston. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 68.6% of the state’s population is white, 28.7% is Black/African-American, and 3.8% is of Hispanic/Latino origin (2007).
There are 59 hospitals in South Carolina, 25 of which are located in rural areas (North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center, 2007). The state has 5 hospitals currently identified by the Flex Monitoring Team as Critical Access Hospitals (April, 2009). There are 111 Rural Health Clinics in South Carolina (CMS, 2009), and 22 Federally Qualified Health Centers provide services at 143 sites in the state (Kaiser, 2007). 16.2% of South Carolina residents lack any health insurance (Kaiser, 2006-2007).
According to the USDA Economic Research Service, the average per-capita income for all South Carolina residents in 2007 was $31,103, although rural per-capita income lagged at $28,329. Estimates from 2007 indicate a poverty rate of 19.2% exists in rural South Carolina, compared to 13.8% in urban areas of the state. Data from 2000 finds that 29.1% of the rural population has not completed high school, while 21.8% of the urban population lacks a high school diploma. The unemployment rate in rural South Carolina is 9.1%, while in urban South Carolina, it is 6.3% (USDA-ERS, 2008).
For a national comparison, please see an overview of the United States.
Data Sources:
U.S. Census Bureau: State & County QuickFacts
USDA Economic Research Service: State Fact Sheets
Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts
Flex Monitoring Team: Critical Access Hospital List
Organizations
HUD Community Development Block Grants: South Carolina
Federal government
Contact information for the State CDBG program. Provides funding for community development projects.
National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern/Atlantic Region (NN/LM-SE/A)
State/regional organization
Works to improve access to health information for health care providers, librarians and the public in Alabama, the District of Columbia,
Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia and West Virginia.
Office of Economic Opportunity
State government
Provides programs which sustain the entire range of life necessities, including health care, education, employment, and housing assistance.
South Carolina Association of Nonprofit Organizations (SCANPO)
State/regional organization
Works to provide high-quality assistance, information and training on effective practices in nonprofit management and leadership.
South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services (DAODAS)
State government
Partners with public, private and social sector organizations to provide quality prevention, intervention and treatment services. Ensures the provision of quality services to prevent or reduce the negative consequences of substance use and addictions.
South Carolina Department of Commerce
State government
Provides information on trade, grants, rural development, and recycling. Includes databases of community profiles, labor market information, buildings and more.
South Carolina Department of Disabilities and Special Needs
State government
Serves persons with mental retardation, autism, traumatic brain injury and spinal cord injury and conditions related to each of these four disabilities. Assists people with disabilities and their families through choice in meeting needs, pursuing possibilities and achieving life goals, and minimize the occurrence and reduce the severity of disabilities through prevention.
South Carolina Department of Education Office of Exceptional Children
State government
Ensures that all children with disabilities in the State have available a free and appropriate public education, protects the rights of these children and their parents, and provides leadership to school districts and state-operated programs in the provision of appropriate special educational services.
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control: Office of Minority Health (OMH)
State government
Provides leadership and serve as a focal point for addressing health disparities and other minority health issues in South Carolina.
South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services
State government
Manages the Medicaid program to provide the best healthcare value, and provides medical care to low-income citizens in need.
South Carolina Department of Mental Health (DMH)
State government
Administers to adults, children, and their families affected by serious mental illnesses and significant emotional disorders. Committed to eliminating stigma and promoting the philosophy of recovery, and to assuring the highest quality of culturally competent services possible.
South Carolina Department of Social Services Child Support Enforcement
State government
Provides custodial parent with assistance in obtaining child support payments. Provides parent locater and establishing paternity services.
South Carolina Employment Securities Commission (SCES)
State government
Provides a job bank, location of workforce centers throughout the state, testing, counseling, and referral to jobs. Assists all employers, large or small, to fill their jobs quickly with qualified personnel.
South Carolina Hospital Association (SCHA)
State/regional organization
Works to support its members in addressing the healthcare needs of South Carolinians through advocacy, education, networking and regulatory assistance.
South Carolina Office of Rural Health (SCORH)
State/regional organization
Seeks to improve the health status of rural and underserved people throughout the state through advocacy, education, and assistance to providers, communities and policy-makers.
South Carolina Primary Health Care Association (SCPHCA)
State/regional organization
Works to provide a coordinating structure to assure access to community-based primary, behavioral and other health care to every community in South Carolina.
South Carolina Rural Health Association (SCRHA)
State/regional organization
Works to advocate, educate and collaborate for improved health of rural people in South Carolina.
South Carolina Rural Health Research Center (SCRHRC)
Academic/Research
One of six Rural Health Research Centers funded by the Office of Rural Health Policy. Focuses on investigating persistent inequities in health status within the population of the rural U.S., with an emphasis on inequities stemming from socioeconomic status, race and ethnicity, and access to healthcare services.
South Carolina State Housing Finance and Development Authority
State government
Administers a number of Federal and State programs directed at low and low-to-moderate income South Carolinians. Assists families and neighborhoods and helps stimulate the economy by supporting jobs in the construction, real estate, and financial industries.
South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department
State/regional organization
Enables people with disabilities to prepare for, achieve, and maintain competitive employment.
Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (Southeast RCAP)
State/regional organization
Helps rural communities in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida to improve community infrastructure, including water and wastewater treatment.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development: South Carolina
Federal government
Works to increase homeownership, support community development and increase access to affordable housing. The HUD state office provides information about HUD housing programs and local contacts for the state.
USDA Rural Development South Carolina State Office
Federal government
Committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America. The Rural Development State Office provides information about Rural Development programs and applications for financial assistance.
Tools
ERS State Fact Sheet: South Carolina
Web site
Lists statistics on population, educational attainment, employment, income, farm characteristics, and farm financial indicators for the state.
MedlinePlus Go Local
Web site
Information about health services in local geographic areas, including hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, support groups, health screening providers and many others.
National Healthcare Quality Report State Snapshot: South Carolina
Web site
Health care quality report for the state, based on the National Healthcare Quality Report.
South Carolina QuickFacts
Web site
Basic demographic and economic statistics for the state, with links to county-level data.
South Carolina Health and Demographics Section of the Office of Research and Statistics
Web site
Receives, processes, distributes, and interprets health, demographic, and census data in South Carolina. Acts as the coordinating unit for Census Information for the State.
South Carolina Health Centers Data
Web site
Provides access to information on Federally Qualified Health Centers for the state. Includes a map of FQHC locations, as well as information on the populations served by health centers, services provided, staff, patient visits, costs of care, and use of electronic health information.
South Carolina Health Workforce: Highlights from the Health Workforce Profile
Web site
Highlights compile 2000 data on levels of employment, projected growth and key environmental factors that affect demand for health care. Details for medicine, nursing, dentistry, pharmacy, mental health and aides.
South Carolina KIDS COUNT Data Center (KCDC)
Web site
Provides data on child well-being for the state.
South Carolina Rural Health Research Center Findings & Reports
Web site
Publications from one of eight federally funded Rural Health Research Centers. Lists research and reports. Focuses on health disparities.
South Carolina State Health Facts
Database
The latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation. Individual state profiles and 50-state comparisons.
State Profiles- South Carolina: Health Information Technology (HIT)
Web site
Profiles the state’s health information technology (HIT) issues. Contains sections on demographics, HIT legislation, telemedicine, Health Information Exchanges (HIE) & Regional Health Information Organizations (RHIO), grant funded HIT projects, and HIT survey information.
See also: Resources for All States: Tools Documents, Reports and Other Publications
Demographic and Economic Profile: South Carolina
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Presents demographic, economic information and statistics on South Carolina. Includes charts, maps, and graphs.
Date: 02 / 2009
Hospitalization for Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions: Asthma, Diabetes, and Congestive Heart Failure in South Carolina (Executive Summary)
Author(s): Janice C. Probst, Charity Moore, Elizabeth G. Baxley, John L. Lammie
Sponsoring organization: South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Hospitalization rates for ambulatory care sensitive conditions, diseases for which primary care in the preceding six months could have reduced or eliminated the need for hospitalization, are a commonly used indicator of disparities in access to care.
Date: 05 / 2003
Small Business Profile: South Carolina
Sponsoring organization: Small Business Administration
Profile of the state's economy, covering the number of firms, industry composition, small business income, banking, women and minority business ownership, and employment.
Date: 2006
State Profiles - South Carolina: Reforming the Health Care System
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Detailed profile of the state's health care system. Covers demographics, expenditures and financing, health status, utilization and quality of services, health care providers, Medicare, Medicaid, health insurance coverage, and key trends.
Date: 12 / 2005
See also: Resources for All States: Documents Success Stories
Coastal Plain Rural Health Network Facilities Go Tobacco-Free
Hospitals and other health center members of the Coastal Plain Rural Health Network wanted to adopt 100 percent tobacco-free policies for buildings and grounds in order to create a healthy environment for their patients, staff and visitors.
Middle School Chronic Disease Interventions
Program assisted the Chester and Fairfield County School Districts with health services, especially related to diabetes prevention and management, including decreasing obesity and increasing physical activity.
Clinical Leadership Council
Clinical input and buy-in by primary care physicians was determined to be crucial for the success of the Lakelands Rural Health Network in South Carolina.
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