If you have been thinking about going back to school, here is an exciting opportunity for you!

To be considered for the program, students will have to:
*be accepted into one of the identified eligible academic programs,
*be enrolled in ALL evening college coursework,
*be a SC resident and
 *complete and submit the 2017-18 FAFSA

For more information contact:

Graham Elmore
Director of Admissions
3250 St. Matthews Road | Orangeburg SC 29118
office 803.535.1323 | fax 803.535.1368 | www.octech.edu

 

 

Regional Emergency Medical Center for
Bamberg and Barnwell Under Construction

 

 

The Regional Medical Center (RMC) of Orangeburg, the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), and SouthernCarolina Alliance (SCA) were joined by Congressman Jim Clyburn, Congressman Joe Wilson and leaders from across the state for a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, August 8, to celebrate the construction of an $8.63 million, 20,500 square-foot, freestanding 24/7 emergency medical center to serve Bamberg and Barnwell Counties.

The facility, being made possible by the leadership of Senators Brad Hutto and John Matthews, will be constructed at a site on SC Highway 70 between Denmark and Hilda. Approximately 200 guests attended the ceremony, which was held at the construction site.

SouthernCarolina Alliance President and CEO Danny Black kicked off the ceremony by sharing with the crowd the history in trying to bring a regional solution to Bamberg and Barnwell Counties’ rural health care challenges since 1997, when SCA began working with county leaders to find a regional health care solution to replace the county-funded hospitals that taxpayers could no longer sustain. Bamberg and Barnwell Counties have not had 24/7 emergency room centers since their hospitals closed in 2012 and 2016, respectively.

Senator Brad Hutto, who led the effort with Senator John Matthews to secure funding for the ER facility, remarked that the project had included discussions with major medical care service providers in two states in their search to find a solution over the last few years.

RMC officials and members of the regional legislative delegation announced to Bamberg County and Barnwell County Councils on June 12 that RMC and MUSC had committed to the project.

Several officials, including State Representative Lonnie Hosey, thanked the Regional Medical Center for their investment in providing 24-hour emergency services to the counties of Bamberg and Barnwell Counties.

The August 8th groundbreaking ceremony marks the beginning of construction, which is anticipated to be completed in 12 months.

The ceremony speakers also included: RMC Board of Trustees Chairman Melvin Seabrook and Interim President and CEO Berton Whitaker; MUSC Chief Business Transformation Officer Mark Lyles, MD; SC Director of USDA Rural Development Michele Cardwell; SC Department of Health and Human Services CFO Kathy Bass; RMC Emergency Services Nursing Director Brad Holmes and Strategic Planning Committee Chairwoman Betty Henderson.

After the hour-long ceremony, the chairmen of Bamberg, Barnwell, Orangeburg, and Calhoun Counties joined the other dignitaries for a ceremonial groundbreaking with gold shovels, followed by refreshments.

The emergency center project is funded by the State of South Carolina through a one-time, $3.6 million Transformation Fund Grant and additional funds resulting from the region’s designation as the SC Promise Zone. Other funding has been committed by local community stakeholders.  Improvement of health care through a regional emergency care facility was a primary goal identified by the Promise Zone partners of the SouthernCarolina Alliance region.

The freestanding Emergency Department will include 24-hour emergency care including CT scan, X-Ray and ultrasound diagnostic imaging, lab and observation services. A sign marking the 10-acre construction site on Hwy 70 has been erected.

For photos and updates on the project, please visit the website: www.southerncarolina.org or the Facebook page, SouthernCarolina Alliance.

 

Apply to Host a Smithsonian Exhibit – Crossroads: Change in Rural America

SC Humanities is pleased to announce a special South Carolina tour of Crossroads: Change in Rural America, an exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution. Developed as part of the Museum on Main Street (MOMS) program, this exhibit is designed especially for small cultural organizations and rural audiences that lack regular access to traveling exhibitions due to space and cost limitations.

The exhibit will tour six South Carolina communities from September 2018 – June 2019. Eligible host sites include small museums, libraries, historical societies, cultural centers and other community venues in towns of fewer than 20,000 residents. Applications are due by September 1, 2017. Host sites receive free exhibit rental, a grant to support local community programming, opportunities for professional development, and more.

Crossroads: Change in Rural America offers small towns a chance to envision their futures by exploring the changes that affected their fortunes over the past century. The exhibition will prompt discussions about what happened when America’s rural population became a minority of the country’s population and the ripple effects that occurred.

Despite the massive economic and demographic impacts brought on by these changes, America’s small towns continue to creatively focus on new opportunities for growth and development. Economic innovation and a focus on the cultural facets that make small towns unique, comfortable, and desirable have helped many communities create their own renaissance. The future is bright for much of rural America as small towns embrace the notion that their citizens and their cultural uniqueness are important assets.

Dr. Randy Akers, Executive Director of SC Humanities, is pleased to be bringing Crossroads to South Carolina: “SC Humanities is one of the first three states to host this new Smithsonian exhibit, joining Illinois and Florida. I grew up in a farming village of 600 people in rural Illinois and have seen the devastating changes as small farms collapse, industry moves out, young people move to the city, and schools close. South Carolina is such a rural state, and its numerous small communities have suffered the past decades. Yet there are people, values, and cultural and historical assets that offer hope. The exhibit and programs which accompany it will challenge us to think about the future. What can we do to bring new life to some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in our state? This is a timely and extremely important exhibit addressing one of the most pressing social issues of this century.”

SC Humanities hopes that the communities that host Crossroads: Change in Rural America will be able to further develop their cultural assets, engage in new collaborations, and grow their community identities in new and inspiring ways.

Crossroads: Change in Rural America has been made possible in South Carolina by SC Humanities. Crossroads is part of Museum on Main Street, a collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution and state humanities councils nationwide. Support for Museum on Main Street has been provided by the United States Congress.

For more information about Crossroads: Change in Rural America in South Carolina, contact T.J. Wallace at 803-771-2477 or tjwallace@schumanities.org.

Download the Guidelines and Application! | PDF file

 

For Immediate Release

SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance Receives SRNS Loaned Professional for “Promise Zone” Project

AIKEN, S.C. – July 5, 2017 – Savannah River Nuclear Solutions (SRNS) continues to partner with the SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance (SCA), whose mission supports industrial development and employment opportunities in some of the state’s most rural counties.

Sandra Devoe Bland, Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board Liaison and Technical Advisor for the SRNS Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer, has been recently assigned to the SCA home office located in Barnwell, S.C., to assist with implementing “Promise Zone” initiatives throughout Barnwell, Allendale, Bamberg, Hampton, Colleton and Jasper counties.

“I am pleased to be a part of the SouthernCarolina Regional Development Alliance in their impressive efforts to promote economic growth and employment opportunities to the area through Promise Zone initiatives,” said Bland. She added that the SCA will partner with the federal government to gain access to critical resources and expertise to help these counties grow and thrive within one of four national Promise Zone designees.

Promise Zone recipient counties will have access to multiple federal incentives over the next nine years. These incentives will help establish and nurture new federal programs that are designed to boost economic and educational growth within some of our nation’s most high-poverty, rural and tribal communities.

The Southern Carolina Promise Zone is home to approximately 90,000 residents, 28 percent of whom live in poverty. The Median Income for the six county Promise Zone area is $32,700, a full 25 percent less than South Carolina’s Median Household Income and 45 percent less than the United States’ Median Household Income. Educational attainment and employment rates are low among residents of the Promise Zone and quality affordable housing is scarce.

“I am familiar with the landscape within this Promise Zone. I consider this a tremendous opportunity to give back to the communities in the low country, especially since it includes my hometown of Barnwell,” said Bland.

Bland graduated from Barnwell High School (1980), the Georgia Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering (1984) and has a Masters of Project Management from Keller Graduate School of Management (2009).

The SCA will accomplish its Promise Zone initiatives with the help of the following key partners: South Carolina Housing Authority; South Carolina Department of Commerce; Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina; South Carolina Department of Agriculture; South Carolina Victim’s Assistance Network; GrowFoods Carolina; Palmetto Project; and, Lowcountry Council of Governments.

Sandra Devoe Bland
Email:  sdevoebland@scpromisezone.markusodom.com
Ph: 803.541.0023
Cell: 803.646.6491

 

 

 

Article submitted by: DT Townsend
Savannah River Nuclear Solutions
(803) 952-7566, dt-lawrence.townsend@srs.gov