The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) recently celebrated the grand opening of its new public health department serving Spartanburg County at 120 Dillon Drive.
The new facility replaces the previous location at 151 East Wood Street. A press conference and formal ribbon-cutting ceremony with agency leadership and staff were followed by guided tours of the new facility and an informational data walk featuring charts focusing on county-specific public health demographics, key issues, trends, and recommendations for the road ahead.
“[This] is a historic day as we mark the closing of one chapter in the public health history of Spartanburg County and the beginning of a brand new one with the opening of this beautiful new facility that will allows us to expand the services we offer and improve the quality of care we provide for the residents of Spartanburg County for decades to come,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC Director.
The new facility will provide key public health services to the community, including immunizations, family planning, and low-cost testing for sexually transmitted diseases, as well as services to clients of the state’s Women, Infant, Children (WIC) program. Appointments for these health services can be made by calling 855-472-3432 or by using DHEC’s webchat option available at scdhec.gov.
Vital Records services will be offered at 118 Dillon Drive, right next to the new public health department at 120 Dillon Drive.
“Providing safe, convenient access to essential public health services is one critical way we are addressing the needs of our communities,” said Kandi Fredere, PhD, DHEC’s Upstate Regional Health Director. “DHEC is a proud member of the Spartanburg community, and we look forward to continuing to provide quality public health services to our residents.”
DHEC will have 28 employees work at the Public Health office and 4 at the Vital Records office. In addition to client-based services, staff will perform essential non-clinical work that helps protect people’s health, such as disease surveillance, epidemiology, and public health preparedness.