Hurricane Helene: Public Health Department Closures

Latest updates: Hurricane Helene

Our public health departments' hours of operation may be affected by power and staffing outages. This means that some closures may not appear on the state government office delays and closings map. The health and safety of our employees and our clients remains our highest priority. We are working to get services restored as safely and quickly as possible.

Learn more about DPH's role with hurricanes, floods, and weather emergencies.

Syndromic Surveillance

Syndromic Surveillance Overview

In South Carolina, Syndromic Surveillance Reporting is used to monitor chief complaint data to help identify events of public health concern, including COVID-19.


The Meaningful Use program offers a Syndromic Surveillance Reporting measure under the Public Health Reporting objective.  The information must be sent in standardized formats that have been developed for sending health-related information between health care information systems.  Data submission and analysis is coordinated at the state health department (DPH).

Immunization Registry

2020 Declaration:

South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDPH) declares readiness for the Immunization Registry Measure 1 of Objective 8 for Stage 3 of Meaningful Use upon the deployment of the new Immunization Information System (IIS), which will be known as Statewide Immunization Online Network (SIMON). Deployment is tentatively scheduled for September 14, 2020. If the deployment date changes, this statement will be updated to reflect such change.

Electronic Health Records Grants

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) grants an incentive payment to eligible health care professionals, eligible hospitals and critical access hospitals that can demonstrate efforts to adopt, implement or upgrade certified electronic health record technology. These incentives were established under the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH).

To qualify for the EHR incentive payments, hospitals and eligible providers are required to meet at least one of these four public health-related objectives during Stage 1:

Hospital Infection Control

Hospital Infection Control: HIDA Information For Hospitals

Hospital Infections Disclosure Act (HIDA)

In May 2006, the South Carolina General Assembly passed the Hospital Infections Disclosure Act. Hospitals must report Hospital Acquired Infections (HAIs) from selected procedures to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). The reporting requirements are being phased in.

Compliance with the HIDA Reporting Requirements is a condition of licensure for hospitals that perform the reportable procedures.

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