Something to Celebrate...

MUSC Health Marion Medical Center Awarded Spring 2023 ‘A’ Hospital Safety Grade from Leapfrog Group DCSD Celebrate First Harbor Freight Fellow and Latest Intern Signing Class

MUSC Health Marion Medical Center is proud to announce it has received an “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit upholding the standard of patient safety in hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers. This national distinction celebrates MUSC Health Marion Medical Center’s achievements in prioritizing patient safety by protecting patients from preventable harm and errors. The new grades reflect performance primarily during the height of the pandemic.

“We have implemented the right and thoughtful protocols to ensure safe care for our patients,” MUSC Health Marion Medical Center Executive Director Shametra Swaringer said. “This proves that our care team members are equipped and committed to our patients, and their care.”

“Achieving a LeapFrog hospital safety grade score of ‘A’ in Marion is a direct reflection of our commitment to providing the best care locally,” said MUSC Health Florence Division Chief Executive Officer Jay Hinesley. “At MUSC Health we believe all South Carolinians should have access to the highest quality care no matter where they live. In Marion County, we are doing just that.”

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national watchdog organization, assigns an “A,” “B,” “C,” “D” or “F” grade to general hospitals across the country based on over 30 national performance measures reflecting errors, accidents, injuries and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.

“This new update of Hospital Safety Grades shows that, at the national level, we saw deterioration in patient safety with the pandemic,” said Leah Binder, president and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “But this hospital received an ‘A’ despite those challenges. I congratulate all the leaders, staff, volunteers and clinicians who together made that possible.”

The Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade is the only hospital ratings program based exclusively on hospital prevention of medical errors and harm to patients. The grading system is peer-reviewed, fully transparent and free to the public. Grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

Raven Newsome, a recent graduate of Hartsville High School, became Darlington County School District’s (DCSD) first Harbor Freight Fellow after completing nearly 200 hours of work through an auto mechanic business.

Newsome’s success shines a light on the continuing success of DCSD’s Key to Career program, which saw 49 students sign intent letters in January to complete paid internships with local businesses and industries.

Shannon Flowers, DCSD’s business engagement coordinator, praised Newsome’s hard work and determination to gain as much experience as she could while still in school.

“Raven is a wonderful young person with a heightened focus on not only her future but also the future of other women in CTE,” Flowers said. “It is my honor to be associated with her, and we cannot wait to see what the future holds for her.”

The Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative is a partnership between Big Picture Learning and the Harbor Freight Tools for Schools program to elevate the respect and resources accorded youth and their teachers, according to the partnership’s website.

“We support youth for whom the trades are the appropriate and chosen postsecondary path to a fulfilling life as a professional and community member–especially those who have been historically marginalized in the trades through race, ethnicity, or gender bias,” the site says.

Newsome’s honor as a Harbor Freight Fellow highlights another successful class of paid interns through DCSD’s Key to Career program. With 30 business partners on board this spring, 49 DCSD students from every high school in the district signed on earlier this semester to gain real-world job experience across the county.

Flowers explained how the Key to Career program is working to bolster students’ preparation for success after high school and the local workforce.

“The internship period will run through May 11, and our interns are paid an average of $10 per hour while working an average of 90 hours per semester,” she said. “Prior to this semester, students in the Key to Career program had earned over $248,000. Our program is one of the only paid high school internship programs in the state with 54 percent of our interns remaining employed with the internship host in some capacity after program completion.

“We are thankful to have partners that have supported us from the beginning like Hogge Precision, Fiber Industries, and North Industrial Machine, but now we have expanded to internships outside of manufacturing as well.”

Honda S.C. Manufacturing Produces 400,000 Side-by-side Since Production

Honda S.C. Manufacturing is proud to share that our associates have produced a total of 400,000 side-by-side vehicles since production of the #Pioneer began! Thank you, associates, for your efforts and commitment!

Those job experiences include health care, pharmacy, childcare, cosmetology, and small business management.

"This program has been successful in supporting economic and workforce development initiatives that help our students explore their career options postgraduation,” Flowers said. “The greatest successes of this program, though, are in the ways that student's lives are changed for the better, offering some of them hope for the future that they did not see before."

If you are celebrating a positive achievement or have been awarded for a newsworthy accomplishment, email Heather Page at heather@vipmagsc.com.

McLeod Regional Medical Center annually partners with Florence 1 Schools to conduct a senior-level capstone Health Careers course. This work-based course is instructed by McLeod Health’s Workforce Development Department and takes place entirely on the hospital campus. Students from the spring semester recently invited their families, school personnel, and hospital preceptors to a symposium where they shared all they had experienced during the 18-week course. The live exposure to cases in real-time, heavy discussions, and expert knowledge of McLeod Health's professionals greatly influenced the career outlooks for this group.

This semester's class chose to honor the Surgical Services Department as the most "Influential Department of the Semester."

Envision’s $810M Florence Battery Plant Sets Groundbreaking Date

Envision AESC will break ground on its $810 million electric vehicle battery manufacturing plant June 7 in a deal that will support one of South Carolina’s biggest carmakers.

The 1.5 million-square-foot factory, which will be in Florence County’s 900-acre Technology and Commerce Park at Estate Road and Old Marion Highway, will create 1,170 jobs.

Paint Your (P)art Competition Winners Announced

HMRA would also like to congratulate Benjamin Buffington as our second place winner with his entry - “Mountain Bluebird”. This year, HMRA had over 400 votes in our downtown district alone! With online voting, they had a total of 1,238 votes.

The artwork will remain in Art Alley for a whole year for you to enjoy on Main Street!

They extend a special thank you to the Marion County Healthcare Foundation for making this project possible!

Leigh Boulevard & Company Ribbon Cutting

Dalphanie Gamble along with her family, the Chamber and Chamber Ambassadors cuts her ribbon as a new member of the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce.

Leigh Boulevard & Company is a full-service Business Center exclusively designed for (but not limited to) Real Estate Professionals. Business owners can rent office suites, rooms for meetings, training, and/or workshops. We also offer shared office spaces, copy/fax/scan and notary services.

For a monthly fee, customers receive the use of an office (or offices) with necessary services such as phone, fax, internet/Wi-Fi, copier, and scanner. It is an ideal environment for any agent, lender, freelancer, or entrepreneur who needs professional workspace.

One of the biggest advantages of the Business Center is flexibility. Establishing your company in a Business Center means, above all, reducing expenses in contrast to renting an office by yourself. The Business Center has everything you need to run your business in the most efficient manner with no long-term commitment.

They are located at 2011 Second Loop Road Suite C Florence, SC 29501. You can reach us by Phone 843-702-0148 Fax 843-702-0149 or via email dalphanie@leighblvd.com Our hours of operation is MondayThursday 9am-5pm and Fridays and Saturdays by appointment only. They are also on Facebook, Leigh Boulevard and Company.