Our Accomplishments

In March 2010, HSSC sponsored the South Carolina Hospital Association’s annual Patient Safety Symposium, which brings together healthcare professionals, hospital leaders, health policy makers, patient advocates, and others to share knowledge related to improving the safety and quality of patient care in South Carolina.

The 2010 Lewis Blackman Patient Safety Champion Awards were presented during the symposium. The awards were created in 2008 to recognize individuals who have demonstrated exemplary dedication and leadership in advancing the quality and safety of health care for South Carolinians. One of the honorees was Robert Adams, MD, a neurologist at MUSC and SmartState Endowed Chair in the HSSC-supported SmartState Stroke Center of Economic Excellence. Adams is working to reduce the life-changing effects of stroke by using telemedicine to connect MUSC stroke experts with South Carolina’s small and rural hospitals. In just 18 months, Adams and his team recruited nine hospitals to the REACH Stroke Network. These hospitals now have around-the-clock access to MUSC stroke expert who help local emergency room physicians diagnose and treat stroke patients. At the time the award was given, more than 200 stroke consults had been completed and the use of tPA (tissue Plasminogen Activator) to treat ischemic stroke had quadrupled in REACH Stroke Network partners.