NEWS BRIEFS: State looks at stockpiling medical equipment again

Staff reports  |   South Carolina no longer stores medical equipment like masks and gowns, but some in Columbia want to revive a stockpile following the struggle to obtain vital supplies in the pandemic, according to a Friday news item in sister publication Statehouse Report. 

Gov. Henry McMaster’s AccelerateSC team heard from committees this week that recommended a 28-day, $16.7 million stockpile. The question of a stockpile came up again Thursday among a group of state senators discussing policy aimed at rebuilding South Carolina. 

The state does not currently have any stockpile in place, according to a spokesman at the S.C. Department of Environmental Control (DHEC), and it is unclear when it ended. Most medical equipment funneled through DHEC and county emergency departments has come from donations or a federal stockpile. Medical providers, from hospitals to nursing homes, have had to rely on what they could purchase on the open market, according to organizations.  Read more.

In other recent news:

Pregnant inmate shackling banned. McMasterlast week signed into law a measure proposed by S.C. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-Daniel Island, that bans the practice of shackling pregnant inmates in labor or bonding postpartum. It also requires all prison facilities to have menstrual products available to menstruating inmates, and to offer those products for free to those who cannot afford them.  “Recent years have seen the cause of Criminal Justice reform become a non-partisan issue, with the left and right coming together to seek justice and show compassion,” Mace said in a statement.  “Federal and state laws are moving on this issue, and I’m heartened by how my colleagues here have acted.”   Read the bill here.

New poster.  Lowcountry Local First has a new poster available for download, print and display to help instill trust and confidence as businesses reopen.  Download a free 8.5×11″ or 11×17″ poster and fill in the blanks in a way that makes sense for your business. 

Charleston summer day camps to begin.  City of Charleston summer day camps provided by the Recreation Department are scheduled to begin June 15 and run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Drop-off hours will be from 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., and pick-up will take place from 5:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Drop-off and pick-up will occur outside of each facility and each camp will have a site-specific drop-off and pick-up routine in place.  The camps will operate under strict social distancing protocols, according to a news release.  Email questions here.

First Arthur, more on the way. Tropical Storm Arthur, which brushed the S.C. coast last weekend, was the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. This week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted a busy hurricane season with possible three to six major hurricanes. The official storm season starts June 1 and ends Nov. 30. Read more.

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