Palmetto State Extra: Your Health and You

April 29, 2022

**SCLBC Minority Health Summit – May 27, 2022**

This annual event will focus on providing information and workshops focused on health issues impacting South Carolina minority communities. The event will bring together SCLBC members, health organizations, professionals, and leaders from across the state.

**Donated Vera Bradley Scarves Brighten Day For Tidelands Health Patients With Cancer**

The retailer donated 92 of the popular brand’s colorful scarves to the Tidelands Health Cancer Care Network to encourage patients and give them a fashionable accessory in case they are experiencing hair loss during treatment.

“I just hope it makes them smile and that they know someone was thinking of them,” said April Fennell, assistant store manager of Vera Bradley at Tanger Outlets Myrtle Beach.

Fennell and other store employees have lost loved ones to cancer and wanted to lift the spirits of those battling the disease through the community outreach effort. As a young girl, Fennell watched as her grandmother battled cancer, rarely leaving her house.

“If she had a nice Vera Bradley scarf, maybe she would have gone out,” Fennell said.

Fennell and her team at Vera Bradley selected the Tidelands Health Cancer Care Network, the region’s most comprehensive provider of cancer services and affiliate of MUSC Health, to benefit from this special program.

During a three-day period in March, customers at the store in the Tanger center off U.S. 17 could buy and donate a scarf in exchange for a 10 percent discount. Each scarf is valued at between $13 and $18. The goal was to collect 60 scarves, but the effort exceeded expectations.

“We have a great community,” Fennell said. “Everybody is so generous. I felt like Santa Claus carrying the bag to the cancer center.”

The Tidelands Health Cancer Care Network is a triple-accredited cancer care provider and the region’s affiliate of the MUSC Health Hollings Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute designated cancer center.

“Our patients are already putting these beautiful scarves to good use,” said Dr. Jeff Cronk, medical director of oncology at Tidelands Health. “Kind gestures like this one from the thoughtful team at Vera Bradley mean so much to our patients and really lift their spirits

**DHEC Reminds Public Of Dangers Hot Cars Pose To Children**
As we approach the hottest months of the year, the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control wants to remind the public of the dangers of pediatric vehicular heat stroke, commonly referred to as “hot car deaths.”

Heatstroke can occur throughout the year as temperatures inside a vehicle can reach life threatening levels even on mild or cloudy days. Children are particularly vulnerable to hot car deaths as their bodies’ ability to maintain internal body temperatures are not as efficient as an adult’s and their body temperature warms at a rate of 3 or 5 times faster than adults (noheatstroke.org).

South Carolina has had 22 deaths in hot cars since 1998. Last year was particularly deadly with three hot car deaths in our state. The average date of the first death of the year is March 24. These deaths are 100 percent preventable and, according to the National Safety Council, generally the result of three primary circumstances: A caregiver forgetting a child in a vehicle, a child gaining access to the vehicle and someone knowingly leaving a child in a vehicle.

"A car can heat up 19 degrees in 10 minutes, and cracking a window doesn’t help,” said Kevin Poore, Safe Kids South Carolina Director. “Heatstroke can happen anytime, anywhere. We don’t want to see this happen to any family, or any child. That’s why DHEC is asking everyone to help protect kids from this very preventable tragedy by never leaving a child alone in a car, not even for a minute.”

Together, we can cut down the number of deaths and near misses by remembering to ACT.

• A: Avoid heatstroke-related injury and death by never leaving a child alone in a car, not even for a minute. And make sure to keep your car locked when you’re not inside so kids don’t get into it on their own.
|• C: Create reminders. Keep a stuffed animal or other memento in your child’s car seat when it’s empty and move it to the front seat as a visual reminder when your child is in the back seat. Or place and secure your phone, briefcase, or purse in the back seat when traveling with your child.
• T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911. Emergency personnel want you to call. They are trained to respond to these situations. One call could save a life.

For more information on preventing child heatstroke deaths, please visit www.safekids.org/heatstroke.

**New Device Rapidly Removes Clots, Restores Blood Flow**

A pulmonary embolism is a condition in which one or more arteries in the lungs become blocked by a blood clot. These blockages reduce the blood flow through the heart and lungs making it more difficult for the lungs to provide oxygen to the body. Eventually, it can progress to decreased oxygen levels and low blood pressure.

The blockage of blood flow also puts a strain on the heart’s pumping mechanism since it is unable to push the blood past the clot. In severe cases, heart failure may occur and can lead to a fatal event. It is estimated that pulmonary embolisms cause 100,000 deaths each year, according to the American College of Cardiology.

Patients with pulmonary embolisms may experience:

·shortness of breath

·chest pain that worsens with breathing

·a feeling of dizziness

·lightheadedness or fainting

·irregular heartbeat

·heart racing

·coughing

·fatigue