New South Carolina Communities Join Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas
[Columbia, SC, July 11, 2023] — Four new South Carolina community coalitions will join Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas (HPHC), an initiative of The Duke Endowment (TDE) to help address chronic health issues such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease. The new coalitions will be supported by local hospital and health system partners and launch July 2023 to support communities across the Upstate, Midlands and Pee Dee regions. The counties include:
- Anderson County Safety Council (sponsored by AnMed Health);
- Chester County Community Coalition (sponsored by MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center);
- Healthy Horry (sponsored by Conway Medical Center); and
- Wholespire Richland County (sponsored by Prisma Health – Midlands).
Each community will receive financial assistance from The Duke Endowment and technical support from the South Carolina Hospital Association and the South Carolina Office of Rural Health. The coalitions will serve to strengthen local infrastructure and community engagement to measurably improve population health around chronic prevention issues like unhealthy weight, diabetes, and heart disease. The four newly awarded coalitions are joining 29 existing coalitions across North and South Carolina.
In the HPHC model, diverse community organizations collaborate to address systemic conditions that have led to poor health outcomes by implementing evidence-based interventions and sustaining them through policy, systems, and environmental changes. At the end of a one-year readiness phase, each coalition can reapply for up to five more years of funding to support implementation and policy change. Since the program’s inception in 2015, HPHC coalitions have implemented 205 programs, portentially impacting an estimated 2.3 million residents of North and South Carolina.
“We are excited to expand Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas to help lead more South Carolina communities to a better state of health,” said Angel Bourdon, Director of Community Health and Innovation at the South Carolina Hospital Association, which supports all South Carolina based coalitions with technical assistance and expertise. “The community coalitions selected to join the initiative represent high-need areas of South Carolina where we can establish a clear understanding of strategies to collaborate on intentional actions to improve health for underserved populations.”
“The health challenges facing the Carolinas have been decades in the making,” said Lin Hollowell, Director of Health Care at The Duke Endowment. “Although they cannot be effectively addressed overnight, we’re are seeing significant in Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas communities. The health challenges also cannot be solved by individuals or organizations working alone. Through Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas, communities can work together to promote health and wellness.”
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About Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas:
Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas is an initiative of The Duke Endowment. The program promotes behavior changes that address chronic issues such as unhealthy weight, diabetes and heart disease by increasing physical activity and nutrition.
Based in Charlotte, N.C., and established in 1924 by industrialist and philanthropist James B. Duke, The Duke Endowment is a private foundation that strengthens communities in North Carolina and South Carolina by nurturing children, promoting health, educating minds and enriching spirits. Since its founding, it has awarded more than $4 billion in grants.
Media Contact: Schipp Ames at sames@scha.org
Administrative Contact: Angel Bourdon at abourdon@scha.org