Prisma Health Assists with Critical COVID-19 Needs in Kershaw County

GREENVILLE, SC—When Kershaw County unexpectedly became South Carolina’s early hotspot for COVID-19 cases, Prisma Health was uniquely positioned to provide critical assistance. Both healthcare systems are members of the Midlands Regional Healthcare Coalition, one of the state’s four regional coalitions that coordinate for emergency preparedness. KershawHealth hospital in Camden experienced a surge in COVID-19 cases in March, and Prisma Health was able to transfer five ventilators to their facility. The ventilators were rapidly put into service for critical patients who needed breathing support as they fought COVID-19.

“We are proud to serve as a regional partner to help ensure that critical needs are being addressed and resources are shared wherever possible. There are quite a few models of ventilators and in our larger healthcare system we were able to locate the exact models of ventilators that KershawHealth’s critical care teams were already trained to use,” said Stephen Shelton, MD, who serves as Prisma Health–Midlands Incident Commander for the COVID-19 crisis response.

The five ventilators were located at Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital in Sumter. All five units have now been in active use for a month in Camden, providing lifesaving support and will be returned to Tuomey Hospital when KershawHealth no longer needs them.

In addition, Prisma Health was able to provide KershawHealth a supply of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing kits until more arrived. This assistance helped KershawHealth respond quickly to its initial surge of patients and provided the time they needed to locate and purchase scarce supplies as they continued to ramp up their ongoing COVID-19 response.

Tallulah Holmstrom, MD, Chief Medical Officer, KershawHealth, said, “Our collaboration with Prisma Health is longstanding. Patients reap the benefits when their community hospital has a cooperative relationship for services such as extended lab support for hospital bloodwork. We also benefit from Prisma Health’s recent launch of in-house testing for COVID-19. Now, instead of waiting days or a week for inpatient results, we are receiving their results in hours. When we work together, we can better serve our patients and communities, especially as we face this public health crisis.”

For more information about COVID-19 and Prisma Health’s continued response, visit PrismaHealth.org/Coronavirus.

About Prisma Health
Prisma Health is a not-for-profit health company and South Carolina’s largest private employer. With nearly 30,000 team members, 18 hospitals, 2,984 beds and more than 300 physician practice sites, Prisma Health serves more than 1.2 million unique patients annually. Its goal is to improve the health of all South Carolinians by enhancing clinical quality, the patient experience and access to affordable care, as well as conducting clinical research and training the next generation of medical professionals. For more information, visit PrismaHealth.org.