November/December 2021 E-Newsletter

To enable our partners, faith based organizations, and communities to address the holistic health of families in South Carolina.

The Holidays Are Here...Oh My!

The holiday season is here! Oh, my goodness! Many of us are able to approach the holidays with great anticipation, as a time for celebration and joy. While public images show happy families gathering around the Christmas tree, eating turkey dinners with stuffing, cakes, and pies, enjoying holiday music around a cozy fire, for many others the holidays are much darker and difficult. The holidays can be a time of family conflict, stress, depression, anxiety, financial strain, loneliness, grief, and negativity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the most dangerous months of the year for alcohol-and-drug-related deaths are December, January, and March. In the past 20 years, nearly 91,000 deaths have been reported in December alone. It is no surprise that people facing addiction and recovery have heightened feelings of stress, depression, and anxiety. As you prepare to move forward during the holidays, consider ways to provide support to those that are in need. Hopefully, this newsletter will serve as a resource for you.

The Holidays Can Be Extremely Stressful

What You Can Do

The most serious problems facing people who live with mental illness is stigma and discrimination. Stigma causes people to feel ashamed and blamed for something that is beyond their control and prevents people from making social interaction and seeking the help they need. Here are some things you can do if you or someone in your family is struggling with mental illness:

Enjoy the holiday season, but if you or persons you know are overwhelmed by the stressors that the holidays bring, seek help from a mental health professional. It may save your life!
Talk openly about mental health.
Educate yourself and others about mental illness. Get trained as a mental health first aider (MHFA).
Be conscious of your language and actions. Get trained as a community-based recovery support person.
Show compassion and support for those with mental illness.
Choose positive reinforcement and empowerment over shame.
Be a friend! It is one of the best ways you can help.

Mental Health First Aid

Just as CPR helps an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) assists someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis and connect the person with help. A public education program, the Mental Health First Aid course, introduces participants to risk factors and warning signs of mental health problems, builds understanding of their impact and overviews appropriate supports. Becoming a first aider does not prepare one to diagnose or provide any counseling or therapy. Instead, the program offers concrete tools and answers key questions like, “What do I do?” and, “Where can someone find help?” This program also teaches common risk factors and warning signs of specific illnesses like anxiety, depression, substance use, bipolar disorder, eating disorders and schizophrenia.

For those desiring to be trained, please contact our office or visit our website to learn more.

COVID-19 Updates

DHEC Supports CDC’s Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Approval for Ages 5-11, Urges Parents to Get Their Children Vaccinated

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved on Tuesday the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11. The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) supports this action and is excited to work with vaccine providers to ensure access for this age group throughout the state. Parents can start getting their children in this age group vaccinated today.

“Approval of the Pfizer vaccine for ages 5-11 is a major step forward for South Carolina and the rest of our nation in our fight against COVID-19,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, DHEC Director. “We want people to know that a great deal of research and analysis went into the approval of the vaccine for this age group. This research has shown that the vaccine is safe and effective in children ages 5–11. The Food and Drug Administration and the CDC would not have signed off on using this vaccine with this age group without this research, and the same goes for DHEC. We are encouraged by this news and are excited to offer this vaccine to the 436,352 South Carolinian children in this age group.”

The full CDC statement on the vaccine approval can be found here. In part, it states:

Similar to what was seen in adult vaccine trials, vaccination was nearly 91 percent effective in preventing COVID-19 among children aged 5-11 years.
Vaccinating children will help protect them from getting COVID-19 and therefore reducing their risk of severe disease, hospitalizations, or developing long-term COVID-19 complications.
Distribution of pediatric vaccinations across the country started this week, with plans to scale up to full capacity starting the week of Nov. 8.

In anticipation of the approval, DHEC last month began developing its vaccine rollout plan for South Carolinians ages 5-11. At the same time, the federal government informed South Carolina we would receive 152,100 pediatric vaccine doses in the first week of availability. We have already received more than 60,000 of these doses and expect to receive the rest of them today and Friday. The state will continue to receive weekly shipments beginning next week. The federal government has enough doses for all 28 million children in this age group, so a phased rollout will not be necessary like it was for adult vaccines last winter.

Pediatric vaccinations are being distributed this week to more than 250 vaccine providers in South Carolina including many pediatricians and family practice providers. We are also distributing to many but not all, hospital systems who may further distribute within their networks, DHEC health departments, federally qualified health centers, rural health clinics, provider offices, and mobile vaccine vendors, among others. That said, it is important to note that while vaccines are making their way to our state, providers are working to update and train their staff on the final CDC recommendations for pediatric vaccines. It is best to contact your provider for availability prior to visiting a site.

“Just like a measles or polio shot, the COVID-19 vaccine will stave off this deadly virus and allow our children to safely attend school and focus on bettering themselves in the classroom,” Simmer added. “We strongly urge parents to learn more about this vaccine and protect their children by taking advantage of this life-saving opportunity.”

COVID-19 vaccinations are available for ages 5 and up. Visit DHEC COVID-19 webpage for more information, the locator page to find a nearby place to get vaccinated, or call our Vaccine Information Line at 1-866-365-8110.