FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jul. 1, 2025
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina today announced the launch of South Carolina Health Compass — an online collection of data dashboards containing the most comprehensive county-level health information available.
The health compass contains interactive data for the public, policymakers and researchers that is from the 2023 South Carolina State Health Assessment. It supports Live Healthy South Carolina, a statewide collaborative to improve the health of all South Carolinians. The data, which will be updated regularly, can be used in Community Health Assessments and by community coalitions, local municipalities, colleges, and students to inform health program planning, policy, education, and grant activities.
“The South Carolina Health Compass is a comprehensive project that makes critical data more accessible than ever,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, interim DPH director. “A project like this could not be achieved without continued collaboration and the strong partnerships we’ve worked to developed across our state. This project allows us to create something that can be used by anyone to help improve the health of South Carolinians for years to come.”
The dashboards contained in the health compass include South Carolina’s population, healthy communities, healthy mothers and infants, healthy children and adolescents, healthy adults, healthy aging, and health vulnerabilities.
“The South Carolina Health Compass will provide South Carolinians with a one-stop-shop for local-level data that can be used to improve the health of our state’s communities” said Katie O’Shields Free, director of DPH’s Section of Epidemiology, Analysis & Data Visualization.
The South Carolina Health Compass was funded by a Duke Endowment Grant awarded to the Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina. The inclusion of more than 120 social and health indicators was possible because of the robust data DPH has, as well as external data stewards, including the South Carolina Office of Revenue of Fiscal Affairs.
###
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct. 2, 2025
COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) has confirmed an outbreak of measles in the Upstate. As of Oct. 1, 2025, a total of eight measles cases have been reported to DPH in the Upstate. Five out of the eight cases became sick within the past month and are part of a newly identified outbreak of measles.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct. 1, 2025
Open, judgment-free conversations can reduce stigma and connect South Carolinians to life-saving resources.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Oct. 1, 2025
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) has launched a new webpage that shares positive rabies cases in animals with the public. The launch of this new webpage coincides with World Rabies Day, observed each year on Sept. 28 to raise awareness about rabies prevention and honor Louis Pasteur, the developer of the rabies vaccine.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sept. 29, 2025
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) confirmed that a raccoon found near Ella Street and Sunset Drive in Chester, S.C., has tested positive for rabies. No people are known to have been exposed at this time. One dog was exposed and will be quarantined as required in the South Carolina Rabies Control Act.