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Letter from Bill Little, CEO, Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center
August 26, 2021
To the citizens of Darlington County and surrounding areas:
As our COVID-19 situation continues to worsen, I wanted to remind our community that this challenging state we are in is preventable. The Delta variant is making its way through our community, our hospital and the healthcare system in our state at a very fast pace. Like most healthcare facilities in our region, Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center is operating near the top of our capacity. And today, I am asking for your help.
South Carolina has one of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country, with about 42 percent of the population fully vaccinated. And our own community’s 44 percent vaccination rate is barely above the state average. The number of COVID-19-positive patients we have admitted to the hospital has increased drastically since the beginning of August, and most of these individuals are unvaccinated. We are doing everything we can to manage the rapid increase in patients while also continuing to care for the ongoing, non-COVID-19 healthcare needs of our community.
We know that this situation is avoidable, and with your help, we can put a stop to the spread of COVID-19. First and foremost, getting vaccinated greatly reduces the likelihood of someone contracting the virus, being hospitalized or dying. If you are still unsure about getting vaccinated, please call your primary care provider to talk about the vaccine. More than 95 percent of all physicians are vaccinated because they know that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. Each vaccine administered is a bed saved for someone having a heart attack, stroke or other potentially life-threatening illness. Additionally, we strongly encourage our community to take other precautions that are effective in slowing the spread of the virus, including wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and continuing proper hand hygiene. When ALL these measures are performed consistently, they will help lower the transmission rate and reduce the number of COVID-19 cases in our community.
Even amid this pandemic, please do not delay your yearly check-ups and screenings such as a mammogram or colonoscopy. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 9-1-1 or visit the nearest ER. If your condition is less severe and not life-threatening, please consider seeking care and treatment at the Carolina Pines Medical Group Walk-In Clinic or your primary care provider’s office so our ER staff can focus on the most critical needs.
On behalf of our team of healthcare heroes at Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center, I am asking our community to act now by scheduling a COVID-19 vaccine. To schedule a vaccine appointment, visit www.cprmc.com/covid19.
Sincerely,
Bill Little
CEO, Carolina Pines Regional Medical CenterContact:Miranda Peavy, Marketing and Communications Coordinatormiranda.peavy@cprmc.com, (843) 339-4563