Moving Company in North Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - A new charter academy will be opening its doors soon and giving Lowcountry students in danger of not graduating another option to get their diploma.

English teacher Bria Burke-Koskela is eager to start her 7th year of teaching high school English. This year will be a little different as she will be one of several English coaches at Lowcountry Acceleration Academy.

“It’s meant to help students who have had difficulty in a traditional environment or had trauma in a traditional environment,” Burke-Koskela said.

The free charter high school, situated in North Charleston off Rivers Avenue, is meant for students ages 14 to 21. The charter school is part of a national network of public high school dropout reengagement programs.

“We are focused on partnering with area school districts: Charleston, Berkeley, DD2. Our role is to make sure our students are graduating with a high school diploma, and we work together to identify those students,” said Dr. Jacinta Bryant, the academy’s director.

The charter school allows students in-person and virtual options. Bryant says the school is open to students with academic challenges, social and emotional difficulties or work and family responsibilities that don’t have time for a regular school schedule.

She says they will also be providing transportation.

“Our students learn better when they are on a more personalized pathway,” Bryant said. “As a teacher you always want to be the best resource for your kids.”

Burke-Koskela says students are expected to meet in person at least 12 hours a week. The potential graduates can go at their own pace taking one class at a time or taking more.

The school is open year-round.

“We have done education the same way for so long I think new opportunities like this are going to reach students who have not been reached before. We don’t have classrooms, and it’s a coffee shop vibe and we get to come to them so I’m excited to get to tell jokes, make some relationships, and get involved. So I’m very excited,” Burke- Koskela said.

Bryant says Lowcountry Acceleration Academy is always taking applications from interested students. Doors will open Aug. 23, and the school hopes to start with more than 200 students with a cap of 350.

For more information you can click here or call (843) 804-6778.

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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control will provide vaccination clinics at sites across the Lowcountry next week.

The Moderna and Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) vaccines are currently available for people 18 and older, and the Pfizer vaccine is for ages 12 and up.

COVID-19 vaccinations are free. You won’t pay deductibles, co-insurance, or co-payments. Walk-ins welcome, or make an appointment for a DHEC clinic by clicking here or calling 866-365-8110.

Community Partner Vaccine ClinicsSome non-DHEC vaccine providers may ask for your insurance information or an identification card, but you are not required to provide these in order to receive your vaccine and cannot be turned away. To make your appointment with a non-DHEC clinic, register online with the provider or call the provider directly.

A preliminary $26 billion settlement was announced July 21 with Johnson & Johnson and the nation’s “Big Three” opioid distributors: AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson.

If approved, many South Carolina communities could receive payments as early as the first quarter of 2022 and together would reap as much as $350 million from the drugmakers over the next two decades.

The settlement includes 3,795 communities across the country within 48 states that the opioid epidemic has impacted. Fifty-four of those 3,795 communities are from South Carolina, including Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties. The settlement also includes the city of Charleston, North Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville individually.

Joe Rice, co-founder of the Mount Pleasant law firm Motley Rice LLC, was a lead counsel for negotiations in dividing the settlement among these communities.

Rice and other counsel wanted to create a settlement that could be accepted by different local governments and would work for all of the affected communities, he wrote in a July 21 blog post.

“The agreement announced today isn’t perfect, but it is a way to provide assistance to states and subdivisions if they agree to the settlement, as well as changes in conduct for these companies regarding their handling of prescription narcotics,” Rice wrote.

The opioid distributors were accused of ignoring red flags and failing their duty to report suspicious orders and the foreseeable black market of addictive opioid drugs.

AmerisourceBergen, Cardinal Health and McKesson have agreed to pay a total settlement amount of $21 billion over 18 years. Through the settlement, the companies would not admit any wrongdoing.

“The distributors may not admit to any wrongdoing, but they agreed to pay $21 billion,” Rice said. “You tell me if you think they’re just being generous.”

Johnson & Johnson will pay $5 billion over seven years, Rice said. The company also agreed to exit the opioid business, he said.

Rice said he supported the settlement.

“The important thing is, with the settlement, the money starts now,” Rice said. “And we need the money now. In delaying the money two to three years while trying to get a trial date, the problem is going to be so much worse. These cases are not guaranteed winners, and they are also extremely expensive.”

The settlement is subject to change and could even be scrapped altogether. States have until Aug. 21 to decide whether they will participate in the settlements. The pharmaceutical companies then have 14 days to each determine if they will proceed with the payment.

If the pharmaceutical companies proceed with the settlement, the 3,795 communities each have 120 days to decide whether they will participate in receiving their portion of the settlement. From there, the participating states and pharmaceutical companies must reaffirm their decision to proceed with the settlement.

If all communities in South Carolina were to accept the settlement, the state would receive approximately $350 million over the next two decades, Rice said. For all settlement recipients, 85 percent of the funds are restricted to abating the opioid epidemic.

“You can’t look at this as to what a small community is going to get,” he said. “These epidemics don’t stay within their zip code. We need help uniformly statewide.”

In the settlement, the companies also agree to significantly change their business operations regarding how narcotics are handled, tracked and analyzed, Rice wrote.

The settlement comes after drug dose deaths between May 2019 and 2020 increased more than 20 percent in South Carolina, according to the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control. Synthetic opioid deaths, in particular, increased about 38 percent from June 2019 to May 2020.

The increases in drug overdose deaths appear to have accelerated during the COVID-19 pandemic, DHEC reported.

“Now, as recently confirmed by new data from the CDC, we have an opioid crisis compounded by a global pandemic, so timing is critical to get assistance to our communities,” Rice wrote in his blog post.

Aside from the settlement, other cases continue against other opioid industry defendants, including pharmacies. This proposed settlement does not resolve these cases working through the court system.

In a separate announcement, the American Medical Association urged advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in a letter dated July 16 to overhaul the CDC’s current guidelines on opioid prescriptions.

The AMA holds that current restrictions are “devastating for patients with pain” and have harmed those who suffer from cancer, sickle cell disease and other painful conditions. The group also pointed out that the nation’s current opioid epidemic is no longer being driven by prescriptions, but instead by “heroin and illicitly manufactured fentanyl, fentanyl analogs, and stimulants.”

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — Trident Health System will break ground in December on a new freestanding behavioral health hospital. It will be the first of its kind in the Lowcountry in the last 30 years.

Currently, there are about 250 beds for mental health patients in the Lowcountry. Those beds are provided by Trident Health System, the Medical University of South Carolina and Palmetto Behavioral Health.

But, advocates for mental health say that number is not enough.

"I think it's relevant now because it has been relevant for years. It's been relevant for as long as I've been in Charleston, that we need more access to psychiatric care. As the population has grown, it has become even more relevant," said Dr. Jeffrey Culver, a psychiatrist and the medical director of behavioral health at Trident Health System.

But, mental health care goes beyond hospital beds.

"The need I think is great. It's across the full spectrum from assessment therapy, intensive treatment and treatment in a hospital based setting," said Dr. Culver.

The new behavioral health facility at Trident Health system will provide an additional 60 inpatient beds, with the ability to expand, plus more.

"The new facility will have within it a full assessment center. To asses the need for inpatient and outpatient treatment programs. We will start with 60 inpatient psychiatric beds. We plan to treat everyone from geriatric to adolescent," said Culver.

Kelly Troyer is an advocate for mental health. Her son, Alex, has a mental health condition.

"He has a developmental delay and high functioning autism," said Kelly.

Kelly said the journey to find adequate care for her son has been a challenge.

"With him growing up it was very frustrating for me to get help for him. And I thought, 'We have insurance, money, and resources. If I can't find help, then how is everyone else finding help?'" she said.

But things have improved over the years, although there is still a long way to go.

Kelly said she wants her son to be seen as a person, and not as his condition.

"When he is not okay, I want him to get treatment so he can be the best, highest functioning, tax-paying, gamer, iPhone-loving, lady-loving young man," said Troyer.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a resource that is available to everyone.

The nonprofit has affiliates all across the country, including in Charleston.

NAMI is able to provide advocacy for mental health patients with everything from treatment to support groups.

If you need help, call NAMI Charleston at 843-284-3091.

Please read the report in its entirety; information can change quickly.

The Path Forward / Recovery

COVID-19 VACCINATION UPDATE

MUSC Health has vaccine appointments for all eligible individuals age 12 and up. Eligible individuals can visit muschealth.org/get-vaccine to make an appointment; while appointments are encouraged, walk-ins are welcome at all MUSC COVID-19 vaccine clinic locations. View information and a video with directions on how to schedule a vaccination appointment. The community is encouraged to monitor muschealth.org for COVID-19 vaccine availability criteria, updates and FAQs.

For more information related to public, community vaccination sites operated by MUSC Health throughout the state, please visit vaxlocator.dhec.sc.gov/. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome.

Homebound individuals who need in-home COVID-19 vaccination services should contact DHEC’s COVID-19 vaccine information line by calling 1-866-365-8110. Please note that community members should not directly contact the vendors. All calls must be routed through the DHEC COVID-19 vaccine information line to access this program.

MUSC Health vaccination administration data is available upon request.

MUSC Health COVID-19 Vaccination Expectation for all care team members

All MUSC Health leaders and care team members are now required to have the COVID-19 vaccine. Religious and medical exemptions may apply for some care team members. All new care team members should receive a single dose vaccine prior to starting work or the first dose of a two-dose vaccine prior to starting work. The second dose must be completed within three weeks as a condition of employment. As of July 1, more than 99.9% of MUSC Health care team members have complied with this policy. MUSC Health has established this policy for the safety of our care team, our patients and patients’ families and visitors.

FOR UPDATED DATA:

For third week in a row, COVID cases are up in Tri-county area. Scientist says it’s tough to predict next peak.

The MUSC COVID-19 Epidemiology Intelligence Project is a digital dashboard that provides leading indicators related to the COVID-19 epidemic to enable informed decisions. Current situation assessments for MUSC Health – Charleston (Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties), MUSC Health Florence, and MUSC Health Lancaster divisions are available on this site.

HELPFUL WEB LINKS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC:

COVID-19 vaccination

MUSC COVID-19 mobile diagnostic testing

MUSC Health, in partnership with the state legislature, is rotating mobile screening and collection sites in rural and underserved areas throughout the state, for both walk-up and drive-through patients. Prescreening is not required and there is no cost to patients. Patients will be contacted within two days with the results of their test, if not sooner. Patients are asked to bring photo identification and an insurance card if they have one. The CARES Act requires MUSC to bill insurance providers if patients do have insurance. Patients may email [email protected] if they have questions regarding their results. If they do not have an email address, they may call 843-985-8888.

Sites may close early or operate with reduced hours if weather conditions become unsafe for care team members or if volume exceeds site safety capacity.

NORTH CHARLESTON: The Charleston International Airport and MUSC Health have collaborated to offer a mobile COVID-19 diagnostic testing site. The site will open on Wednesday, July 21 Friday, July 24, Wednesday, July 28 and Friday, July 30 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. in the Economy B parking lot, 5500 International Blvd., North Charleston, S.C. 29418. “Rapid’ nasopharyngeal swab testing is available at this site, with results available via email within 30 minutes of the test.

Information related to Healthy Me — Healthy SC free, statewide mobile testing sites for each week can be found here.

MUSC Health antibody testing

MUSC Health is offering voluntary COVID-19 serologic testing through MUSC MyChart and results will be available in MyChart within 48-72 hours. Testing is available at select locations in the Charleston, Florence, and Lancaster divisions and by appointment only. Repeat testing, for those who test negative, will be offered no more than every 30 days for qualified candidates. The cost of the test will be billed to insurance carriers. Based on the recent CARES Act, insured patients will not have an outstanding balance for this test. It is important to make sure individuals and the media understand what the test results mean.

COVID-19 related stories for follow-up

Guillain-Barre syndrome expert “cautiously skeptical” about idea that COVID-19 vaccine may have caused people to get GBS.

Lambda variant has showed up in a COVID-19 sample at the Medical University of South Carolina and turns out it’s not the first such case in the state.

Basic stats / COVID-19 positive cases

Previously reported data points, such as the total number of COVID-19 community screening tests completed by MUSC Health- Charleston and the number of positive cases determined via those tests, the number of telehealth screenings, total number of specimens collected at various mobile sites, or the number of COVID-19 positive MUSC care team members are available upon request. Information related to vaccinations is at the top of this release.

For specific information about MUSC Health Florence or Marion Medical Centers, please contact Kim Geiger at [email protected]. For information about MUSC Health Chester or Lancaster Medical Centers, please contact Ashley Shannon at [email protected].

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is home to the oldest medical school in the South as well as the state’s only integrated academic health sciences center, with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 residents in six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. MUSC brought in more than $271 million in biomedical research funds in fiscal year 2020, continuing to lead the state in obtaining National Institutes of Health funding, with more than $129.9 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality patient care available while training generations of competent, compassionate health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Comprising some 1,600 beds, more than 100 outreach sites, the MUSC College of Medicine, the physicians’ practice plan and nearly 275 telehealth locations, MUSC Health owns and operates eight hospitals situated in Charleston, Chester, Florence, Lancaster and Marion counties. In 2020, for the sixthconsecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $3.2 billion. The more than 17,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care.