South Carolina

The American Heart Association, a global force for longer, healthier lives is committed to driving equitable health impact in South Carolina through five key priority areas: women, readiness, tobacco and vaping, patients and healthy living.

With focus on these impact areas, we are working to improve the health and well-being of South Carolinians by collaborating with others who serve our communities.

In Charleston, we are helping to improve healthy food access to downtown residents. We collaborated with The Green Heart Project, which serves as a 1/2-acre Urban Farm in a USDA designated “low income, low access” food desert. Through funding, the American Heart Association has helped provide raised garden beds at Charleston County Public Schools, as well as a walk-in cooler at the Urban Farm. This has allowed The Green Heart Project to increase the amount of fresh produce that is readily available. This organization now serves as a healthy food access point to over 2500 children and families throughout the Charleston area. The Farm Stand at the Urban Farm serves over 100 households a week and produces over 8,000 pounds of produce each year.

In the Upstate, we are leading local impact efforts throughout the region with a strategic focus on several priority areas addressing community health. These priority areas include community-readiness-focused initiatives through CPR training and cardiac emergency response plans; enhancing nutrition security by increasing access and expanding local food pantries; embracing community care through staff and organizational training and support for blood pressure needs through Self-Monitoring Blood Pressure Programs; and addressing tobacco and vaping with local healthcare and educational systems. The multifaceted efforts display the Association’s commitment to creating healthier lives for all in the Upstate.

In CSRA, we are committed to addressing food insecurity in our communities. One in seven people in the CSRA are faced with chronic hunger every day and 54% of our community does not have access to healthy food options. The Laney Walker Farmer’s Market provides screenings, multiple farmers and vendors offering a variety of healthy, local food options. The market also doubles SNAP benefits, meaning when shoppers swipe their SNAP card at the market manager booth, they will receive $2 in market tokens for every $1 spent. Maintaining a healthy diet and controlling blood pressure are two ways to prevent heart disease. The Laney Walker Farmer’s Market represents a collaboration between the American Heart Association, Augusta Locally Grown and Augusta-Richmond County Housing and Community Development. This market is designed to increase social and economic access to our community’s healthiest foods for community members of all income levels, but specifically the market will help to provide proper nourishment to our historically under-resourced communities.

Throughout South Carolina, we’ve seen our community impact work grow, including efforts not only around healthy food access, but also greater access to care, blood pressure education, building a network of first responders through CPR kits in schools, and tobacco and e-cigarette education and prevention.

Through support of our South Carolina communities, the American Heart Association will continue to drive change, and be a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives.

For over 40 years, advocacy has been mission-critical for the American Heart Association, working to mitigate risk factors and protect survivors in communities nationwide .The focus on legislative and regulatory priorities aims to support evidence-based public policies that lead to longer, healthier lives.

The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association employ public policy advocacy as a vital strategy to drive necessary and sustainable changes in policy, systems, and the environment.

Annually, more than 356,000 cardiac arrests occur outside U.S. hospitals, impacting even the youngest community members—over 23,000 cases involve children under 18. Shockingly, almost 40% of these incidents are sports-related, with only 40% receiving immediate help before emergency responders arrive. In South Carolina schools, the absence of a cardiac emergency response plan poses significant risks. However, recent bills in the General Assembly aim to rectify this. The proposed Cardiac Emergency Response Plan (CERP) outlines crucial steps, including designated response teams, proper AED placement, CPR training, practice drills, and collaboration with local EMS, to mitigate cardiac arrest deaths in schools.

Current South Carolina law lacks a statewide cardiac emergency response model for schools, with existing regulations falling short in ensuring AED accessibility. Addressing these gaps, the Smart Heart Act calls for venue-specific emergency plans for athletics and CPR training for high school coaches. Additionally, the T-CPR Training Law aims to equip all South Carolina telecommunicators with high-quality CPR instruction capabilities. Support these vital initiatives by joining the American Heart Association’s Heart Powered network—text SMARTSC to 46839. Stay informed and engage with elected officials to make a meaningful impact on these crucial issues.