The Marlboro County Inter-Agency
Council has taken on the Place Matters Initiative. We are a non-profit
organization with a 35 agency membership and house the Marlboro County
South Carolina Place Matters Team. Our membership includes groups such
as: CareSouth Carolina, Tri-County Mental Health, Helping Hands
Hospice, Clemson University Extension, Department of Health and
Environmental Control, Marlboro Park Hospital, and Community
Development Corporation of Marlboro County.
Marlboro County
has one hospital and the emergency room is used by our uninsured, low
income and Medicaid population as their primary care provider for a
verity of reasons. This backs up the ER and in turn drives the cost of
health care and hospital visits up for everyone. The average bill for a
self-pay client discharged from the local hospital with a diagnosis of
diabetes without complications was $13,948 in 2005. The lack of access
to high-quality primary health care to our community has a dramatic
effect on our children and leads to complications throughout their
school years. Our youth are at high risk for even higher number of
dropouts, gang involvement, and other detrimental lifestyle choices.
Our dropout rate is 7.3% higher than the state of South Carolina’s
average. In 2003 33.8% of all babies born in Marlboro County were to
mothers who had not completed 12th grade.
Over the past three
to five years we have lost 850 – 900 jobs within our County, these
numbers do not include industry closing and lay offs outside Marlboro
County. This increase of unemployed heads of household and an even
larger number of uninsured populations has devastated our community.
Marlboro County now leads the State with the highest unemployment rate
at 10.5% for the month of May 2007. This added strain on our community
who is already in distress has a negative impact on our suffering tax
base and school system. These social issues continue to build. The lack
of jobs affects every aspect of our lifestyle and choices that each
family is forced to select. These choices have consequences and the
mental health, primary health care, and education system suffers. We
have an environment that does not produce a qualified work force for a
non-existing job market. Our youth grow into adults who are still
uninsured with families that do not have access to high-quality health
care or mental health services. Therefore, our graduating students are
leaving to secure employment and are not returning to Marlboro County,
South Carolina.
Our team has targeted action to be taken in
the following two areas: 1) Reduce Emergency Room (ER) admission due to
untreated/undetected diseases by rerouting primary care out of the ER
to connect those patients to Primary Health Care Providers and Mental
Health Center; and 2) To increase the number of youth in Marlboro
County that graduate high school and go on to become the leaders of our
communities by increasing programs that prepare our children for
college and a high technology job market.
We are also
challenging our politicians and other community leaders to actively
engage in our youth, health care system and job market for the future
of Marlboro County.
Over the past year and through the next year the Place Matters Marlboro County Team:
Goal 1) redirection to primary care - Has participated with the forming of a two county rural health network group.
- The
Northeastern Rural Health Network is a newly formed collaboration
funded for a year by the SC Office of Rural Health to improve the
system of care in Chesterfield/Marlboro Counties through the
development of a network between the major health care service
providers. Partners highest level of professionals from CareSouth
Carolina, Sandhills Medical Foundation, Marlboro Park Hospital,
Chesterfield General Hospital, SC DHEC, Northeastern Technical College,
University of South Carolina School of Medicine, Tri-County Mental
Health Center, Marlboro Interagency Council, Chesterfield County
Coordinating Council and the SC Office of Rural Health.
- Has
partners who continue to research grants geared towards improving
racial disparities for chronic conditions in a primary care setting by
proving the case for data collection/reporting by race per condition as
well as a patient-friendly tool that improves patient confidence
- Will establish programs to promote preventive health care
- Will
eliminate barriers to access for health care and early detection of
chronic diseases through grants; promotional activities which include
support and by in from the community, State and local politicians
- Create
programs that involve a more active community through regular exercise
and challenges; including the involvement of local industry to
encourage a healthier workforce.
- Work with Downtown Development committee to create additional safe walking paths
- Expand
the Community Nutrition Network Train the Trainer program using the
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s WeCan! Program;
representatives from local churches were trained to facilitate lesson
plans and discussions on promoting energy balance and healthy weight in
the family through good eating and physical activity.
- Increase
Psychiatric Coverage for the county by screening Mental Health clients
for Health problems and connect Mental Health clients to Primary Health
Providers
- Develop Alternative Crisis / step down program access for Counties Public forum with local legislators
- Increase the ability to capture data on ER admissions in a timely manner
- Develop public awareness of and participation in Inter-Agency / Place Matter Initiative
Goal 2) Reduce the percentage of students who drop out of high school. - Create a County Wide Youth Coalition
- Youth
Empowerment Program – Partners are CareSouth Carolina, University of
South Carolina School of Medicine, CDC of Marlboro County, and Marlboro
County School District. This program tracks 36 students from
Bennettsville Middles grade 6 through 8 through high school providing
assistance in academics and career building. The purpose is to assist
these students in college preparation and enrollment.
- High
School Nutrition Program – WeCan! Teaches the students at Marlboro
County High School to make better choices of nutrition and a healthier
lifestyle.
- Plan a Youth Forum that focuses on positive
lifestyles, positive reinforcement, higher education opportunities and
their benefits for our community.
- Magic Johnson Workforce
Empowerment Center -The center is located at the Marlboro County Adult
Education Center and Northeastern Technical College’s Bennettsville
Community Campus. The purpose of the center is to utilize innovative
technology to provide access to educational enrichment and development
services for youth and adults in Marlboro County.
Outcome:- Goal
1) the ability to track ER visits by criteria and compile data to
analyze over the next six-months to one-year. Bring together the lead
partners for a collaboration meeting on the system(s) needed to track
and compile data and criteria.
- Goal 2) over the next
six-months to one-year we will gather data on the number of students
enrolled at the beginning of the 2007/2008 school year