Updated: Oct. 30, 2026
Stroke System of Care Act
In 2011, legislation was passed to enact the "Stroke System of Care Act of 2011" to establish a statewide system of stroke care. The Act requires the South Carolina Department of Public Health to recognize hospitals that are certified to be primary stroke centers, authorize recognition of acute stroke capable centers, and provide emergency medical services providers with a list of primary stroke centers, stroke enabled centers through telemedicine, and other certified programs, as they come available. The South Carolina Stroke System of Care operates in accordance with R.60-118.
What is a Stroke System of Care?
A stroke system of care is a network of definitive care facilities that provide a care for all stroke patients. An efficient and purposeful stroke system emphasizes the need for various levels of centers to cooperate in the care of stroke patients to avoid wasting precious time. South Carolina's Stroke System of Care includes Comprehensive Stroke Centers, Thrombectomy Capable Centers, Primary Stroke Centers, and Acute Ready Stroke Centers which can be connected by telemedicine. An ideal stroke system includes all components identified with optimal stroke care such as prevention, education, access, EMS transport, acute hospital care, rehabilitation, research, and advocacy.
The care of stroke patients requires a systemic approach to ensure optimal care that is necessary within a facility, however, not every hospital can do everything. Thus, a systems approach is necessary within a community, regardless of its size, to help establish a consistent approach to care and reducing risk of morbidity and mortality.
Why Choose a Hospital with a Designated Stroke Center?
Stroke is a medical and/or surgical emergency. Governing bodies' verification and designation criteria set strict requirements for stroke centers, including standards, clinical practice guidelines, performance measurement for the staffing of resources and specialists, response times, training, performance improvement and stroke prevention activities.
Stroke centers have dedicated and organized stroke teams that respond promptly. The Stroke Medical Director (a physician responsible for stroke care) and Stroke Program Director are responsible for ensuring compliance with the requirements and for carrying out all activities associated with the stroke program. Hospitals that are not designated as stroke centers may have, and be staffed by, an emergency room physician but not have organized teams led by physicians trained in interventional neurological or surgical procedures to manage ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. These facilities focus on evaluation, stabilization, and transfer to an appropriate facility for further care.
South Carolina Stroke Centers
The following is a list of stroke centers based on region and level of designation:
- Comprehensive Stroke Centers: These facilities can meet concurrently emerging needs of multiple complex stroke patients. The CSC will provide support for all South Carolina hospitals as a referral source for high level neurological critical care, medical, interventional, surgical capabilities, and stroke research.
- Thrombectomy Capable Stroke Center (TSC): These facilities do all that Primary Stroke Centers do, plus have the tools and the expertise to perform mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally invasive surgical procedure to remove a blood clot from an artery. These centers also have neurointensive care and 24/7 on-site critical care coverage primary Stroke Centers The only difference in this and a Comprehensive Stroke Center is that the CSC has ongoing stroke research.
- Primary Stroke Centers (PSC): Ability to care for patients with acute ischemic stroke; Rapid assessment, imaging, and able to administer intravenous thrombolytic therapy.
- Acute Stroke Ready Hospitals: These facilities are equipped to treat stroke patients with timely, evidence-based care prior to transferring them to a Primary, Thrombectomy Capable, or Comprehensive Stroke Center.
Upstate Region
Comprehensive Stroke Centers
- Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital (Greenville)
Primary Stroke Centers
- AnMed Health Medical Center (Anderson)
- Bon Secours St Francis Hospital Eastside (Greenville)
- Bon Secours St. Francis Downtown (Greenville)
- Prisma Health Baptist Easley Hospital (Easley)
- Prisma Health Greer Memorial Hospital (Greer)
- Prisma Health Hillcrest Hospital (Simpsonville)
- Prisma Health Laurens County Hospital (Clinton)
- Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital (Seneca)
- Self Regional Healthcare (Greenwood)
- SRHS Pelham Medical Center (Greer)
- SRHS Spartanburg Medical Center (Spartanburg)
Acute Stroke Ready Hospitals
- SRHS Cherokee Medical Center (Gaffney)
- SRHS Union Medical Center (Union)
- Bon Secours St. Francis Emergency Center (Simpsonville)
Midlands Region
Comprehensive Stroke Centers
- Prisma Health Richland Hospital (Columbia)
Thrombectomy Capable Centers
- Lexington Medical Center (West Columbia)
Primary Stroke Centers
- Aiken Regional Medical Center (Aiken)
- MUSC Health Columbia- Downtown (Columbia)
- MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center (Lancaster)
- Piedmont Medical Center (Rock Hill)
- Prisma Health Baptist Hospital (Columbia)
Acute Stroke Ready Hospitals
- Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge (Columbia)
Pee Dee Region
Comprehensive Stroke Centers
- Grand Strand Medical Center (Myrtle Beach)
Primary Stroke Centers
- Prisma Health Tuomey (Sumter)
- Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center (Hartsville)
- Conway Medical Center (Conway)
- McLeod Regional Medical Center (Florence)
- MUSC Health Florence Medical Center (Florence)
- Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital (Georgetown)
- Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital (Murrells Inlet)
Acute Stroke Ready Hospitals
- McLeod Health Loris (Loris)
- McLeod Health Seacoast (Little River)
Lowcountry Region
Comprehensive Stroke Centers
- MUSC Medical University of South Carolina (Charleston) CSC
Thrombectomy Capable Centers
- Trident Medical Center (North Charleston)
Primary Stroke Centers
- Beaufort Memorial Hospital (Beaufort)
- Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital (Charleston)
- Coastal Carolina Hospital (Hardeeville)
- East Cooper Medical Center (Mount Pleasant)
- Hilton Head Hospital (Hilton Head Island)
- MUSC Health (Orangeburg)
- Roper Hospital (Charleston)
- Summerville Medical Center (Trident Health Summerville)
Acute Stroke Ready Hospitals
- Colleton Medical Center (Walterboro)
- Hampton Regional Medical Center (Varnville)
- Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital (Summerville)
- Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital (Mount Pleasant)
- Tidewatch Freestanding Emergency Department (Bluffton)
South Carolina Support and Rehabilitation Services
Upstate
- Young Stroke Support Group - Prisma (pdf)
- Caretaker Support Group - Prisma (pdf)
- Stroke Club Support Group - Prisma (pdf)
- Clemson Stroke Support Group (pdf)
- Stroke Support Group - Encompass Health (pdf)
- Stroke Support Group of the Lakelands (pdf)
- Aphasia Support Group - Greenville (pdf)
Midlands
Pee Dee
Lowcountry
- Stroke Support Group - MUSC (pdf)
- Stroke Support Group - Trident Health (pdf)
- Young Stroke Survivors Support Group - MUSC (pdf)
Statewide
South Carolina Stroke Advisory Council
| Representative Organization | Member |
|---|---|
| SC Medical Association | Sharon Webb, MD |
| American Heart/Stroke Association | Shawna Doran, MSN, RN |
| SC Hospital Association | Fran Ellenberg, MSP, CCC-SLP |
| SC Hospital Association | Christina Holmstedt, DO |
| SC Hospital Association | Vacant |
| SC Hospital Association | Christina Blake, BSN, RN, SCRN |
| SC Neurology Association Counsel | Nishanth Kodumuri, MD |
| DPH EMS Advisory Counsel | Garrett Clanton, MD |
| SC EMS Association | Carrie Stacey, NRP |
| SC Association of Air Medical Services PNCCT | James Leitner, NRP, CCEMTP, FPC |
| Stroke Advisory Council Secretary | Casey Cline, MSN, BSN |
| DPH Patient Stroke Advocate | Nichole Davis |
| SC Chapter of Emergency Physicians | Gerald (Wook) Beltran, MD (as Vice Chair) |
| Upstate RSAC | Amber Laney, MD |
| Midlands RSAC | Forrest Lowe, MD |
| Pee Dee RSAC | Ravish Kothari, MD |
| Lowcountry RSAC | Chirantan Banerjee, MD (as Chair) |
Regional Stroke Advisory Council Members
Upstate Region
| Position | Member | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Chairperson | Amber Laney, MD | Prisma Health Upstate |
| Vice Chair | Kayla Hayes, RN | AnMed Health |
| EMS Rep. | Mark Weber | Prisma EMS |
| Secretary | Tripp Smith, RN | Self Regional Healthcare |
Pee Dee Region
| Position | Member | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Chairperson | Ravish Kothari, MD | Prisma Health |
| Vice Chair | Robert Sloan, RN | MUSC Health Florence |
| EMS Rep. | Tim Smith | Horry County Fire Rescue |
| Secretary | Shelby Parotta | Grand Strand Medical Center |
Lowcountry Region
| Position | Member | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Chairperson | Chirantan Banerjee, MD | MUSC |
| Vice Chair | Christina Blake, MD | MUSC |
| EMS Rep. | Michael Shirey | Berkeley Co EMS |
| Secretary | Alexandra D'Angelo, RN, BSN | Roper St. Francis Healthcare |
Midlands Region
| Position | Member | Organization |
|---|---|---|
| Chairperson | Forrest Lowe, MD | Prisma Health Midlands |
| Vice Chair | Kelsie Pupazan | |
| EMS Rep. | Brian Collins | Lancaster County EMS |
| Secretary | Vacant | |
| Member Neurologist | Dr. Nishanth Kodumuri | Prisma Health Midlands Vascular |
For more information regarding the South Carolina Stroke System of Care, please contact Stroke Program Coordinator, Allison McElveen, with the EMS and Trauma Section, at (803) 545-4958, mcelveas@dph.sc.gov, or stroke@dph.sc.gov.
Additional Resources
- American Heart Association: Mission: Lifeline® Stroke Severity-Based Stroke Triage Algorithm for EMS
- SC EMS Stroke Protocol and Transport Algorithm (pdf)
- American Heart Association: www.heart.org
- American Stroke Association: www.stroke.org
- CDC: Stroke