Press Release

Prisma Health employees recently got more than 8,000 gallons of liquid product from South Carolina farms and distilleries, but it’s to be used for disinfectant – not consumption.

Prisma Health has partnered with Anderson-based Palmetto Distillery and Helena Island-based Seaside Grown to purchase hand sanitizer made from denatured ethanol, which is exactly the same as normal ethanol but contains a small percentage of denaturing agent to make it undrinkable. In late March, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave temporary approval for entities not currently regulated as drug manufacturers such as distilleries and farmers to produce hand sanitizer if they followed certain protocols.

“Our S.C. distilleries are providing a product that we can’t get anywhere else, and that’s a major benefit right now,” said Matt Parker, the manager of Consolidated Pharmacy Services at Prisma Health–Upstate.

Chris Powell, manager of Engineering and Supply Chain, Prisma Health–Midlands, who worked with Seaside Grown agrees. He said, “We appreciate the collaboration of South Carolina vendors. It is a testament to how the community is coming together during COVID-19 to make sure that our healthcare team has what they need.”

Palmetto Distillery is best known for its mason-jar moonshine, with flavors such as white lightning, peach and apple pie. Seaside Grown is known for its farm-to-table Bloody Mary mixer.

Palmetto Distillery delivered 5,000 gallons of its hand sanitizer last Friday. Prisma Health plans to put the hand sanitizer into one gallon jugs with pumps that can be used to refill smaller containers as well as fill more than 4,000 one and two ounce personal bottles for staff and guests in the Upstate.

Palmetto Distillery changed over its production three weeks ago as part of the effort to battle COVID-19, said Trey Boggs, one of its owners. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sanitizer requires the use of alcohol at 60% or higher to be effective. Sanitizer produced by the distilleries contain 80% alcohol, making it a suitable disinfectant for healthcare workers and the general public alike.

“Community is at the heart of everything we do. We understand the importance of coming together to help our community in any way possible, especially in times of crisis. We use alcohol from the still as sanitizer around the distillery on a daily basis, so when there became a dire need for the product, we knew we had an obligation to help our neighbors,” Boggs said.
While Palmetto has been selling one-gallon jugs by preorder, it delivered its supply to Prisma Health Friday via 55-gallon containers.

Meanwhile, Seaside Grown, a subsidiary of a more-than-100-year-old family farm on St. Helena Island, delivered 3,000 gallons of sanitizer a month ago via 9,500 16-ounce bottles, 1,500 spray bottles, 300 five gallon buckets and 60 55-gallon drums of the sanitizer, said Ross Taylor, founder of Seaside Grown.

Seaside Grown had been making about 8,000 gallons of hand sanitizer each week for other companies but focused completely on Prisma Health’s order to make sure it was filled.

“This is about us trying to help each other right now,” Taylor said. “When Prisma Health called, they became our number one focus.”

About Prisma Health
Prisma Health is a not-for-profit health company and South Carolina’s largest private employer. With nearly 32,000 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. The organization was formed in late 2017 when Greenville Health System and Palmetto Health came together, officially becoming Prisma Health in January 2019. For more information, visit PrismaHealth.org.

Prisma Health is beginning to perform surgeries for patients whose time-sensitive procedures were deferred due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“A team of physicians, nurses and infection control specialists developed our plan to resume clinical operations, starting with patients whose surgical procedures were deferred,” said Dr. Angelo Sinopoli, Prisma Health’s executive vice president and chief clinical officer. “Our plan is in response to the medical needs of our patients, and provides a safe environment for our team members, ensuring we have plenty of medical resources and personal protective equipment to care for all of our patients.”

Prisma Health has continued providing urgent and emergent care to patients during the COVID-19 crisis. In preparation for a potential large increase of COVID-19 patients, in early March, Prisma Health began deferring selected cases for patients whose health would not be adversely impacted by the delay.

However, patients with severely painful or progressive conditions such as those who need joint replacement can’t delay treatment indefinitely without repercussions to their long-term health.

Sinopoli said, “We will continue to defer surgical procedures for higher risk populations as long as this does not adversely impact their health. When a patient’s medical condition requires a surgical procedure, we will take the necessary precautions to provide safe and effective care.”

Prisma Health complied with Governor McMaster’s March 17 request for hospitals and doctors to stop performing elective procedures. This measure helped conserve personal protective equipment, medical supplies and other healthcare resources that may have been needed to treat COVID-19 patients.

“Prisma Health will continue to closely monitor the impact of the coronavirus on the community and our healthcare system,” said Mark O’Halla, president and chief executive officer. “If we see a surge of patients with COVID-19, we will revisit these and other plans to provide the urgent and emergent care our patients and communities need.”

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.

Thanks to a collaboration with Boeing, Prisma Health was able to receive its shipment of approximately 1.5 million surgical masks directly from China to Greenville, bypassing extensive delays as well as eliminating shipping costs. Prisma Health purchased the masks in late March but was unable to quickly move the shipment out of China.

Sunday’s delivery is the largest single personal protective equipment delivery made to healthcare providers by Boeing as part of its national pandemic response.

”It’s a win-win for South Carolina healthcare providers and a perfect example of private companies working with elected officials to help healthcare workers and the people they serve,” said Mark O’Halla, president and chief executive officer of Prisma Health. “We very much appreciate Boeing’s support during these challenging times of securing necessary supplies. By standing together, we all stand stronger.”

“In recognition of Boeing’s delivery of our supplies, we are donating 100,000 of these masks to our colleagues at the Medical University of South Carolina, which is located near Boeing’s manufacturing plant,” said O’Halla.

Prisma Health, which already has pandemic supplies and has been aggressively ramping up its supply inventory since January, will use its surgical masks as part of its proactive universal masking of all patients, employees and visitors.

“This partnership demonstrates the truly cooperative spirit of South Carolina, and our people will be better because of it,” said Gov. Henry McMaster. “When a South Carolinian is in need, their neighbors are there to lend a helping hand, and today we’re seeing that our businesses have embodied those unique characteristics.”

“Boeing is proud to be part of this historic flight to bring vital PPE to healthcare workers across South Carolina,” said Dave Calhoun, president and CEO, Boeing. “I want to offer my personal thanks to the Boeing team and our Atlas Air partners for what they’ve done to support this essential mission and ensure our frontline healthcare workers have the equipment they critically need.”

Added Sen. Lindsey Graham, “We owe it to our men and women on the frontlines of our healthcare system to have the necessary resources to fight the COVID-19 virus. I want to thank Prisma Health, Discommon, Atlas Air and Boeing for stepping up to facilitate this important shipment of medical masks to South Carolina.”

Said Sen. Tim Scott, “We will never be able to thank our frontline healthcare workers enough for the amazing work they have done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. They are putting their lives on the line every single day to help others, and it is absolutely critical they have the Personal Protective Equipment necessary to do their jobs as safely as possible. I am thrilled that Prisma Health will now have access to more than 1.5 million medical-grade masks to distribute throughout their facilities in South Carolina, and want to thank everyone involved in this unique public-private partnership for making this happen. It will truly make a difference.”

“Prisma Health constantly works to secure new supplies,” said Chad Richard, executive director of supply chain for Prisma Health. “We finalized the contract in late March but were unable to quickly move the shipment out of China. “While we already had a good supply of masks and have smaller shipments coming in on a regular basis, we were eager to get that shipment here since, by itself, it could serve our system’s needs for approximately four weeks.”

Critical to this supply-chain solution was Greenville resident Neil Ferrier, owner of design firm Discommon, the importer of record for the delivery. Ferrier had reached out to Prisma Health – through U.S. Rep. William Timmons – to offer his help with securing additional masks. He then sourced the masks from trusted manufacturers in China and turned to Boeing and Atlas Air to facilitate their transport to Prisma Health, which ordered the supplies.

“When I realized that obtaining masks was a huge issue for healthcare systems, I realized that I was in a unique position to make a difference,” said Ferrier. Because of his connections at Clemson University, the Clemson alumnus was also able to connect Prisma Health to Boeing.

“I’m incredibly grateful to be part of this project – the wild path to getting here is movie-worthy,” said Ferrier. “While every step of this logistics process has been incredibly daunting, Boeing and Atlas Air have been astonishing throughout, with both companies 100% committed to making today’s transport mission possible. It’s incredible that South Carolina has the backing of companies that can lend their vital transportation logistics support to this very complex challenge. Although this project isn’t in our typical wheelhouse of industrial design and manufacturing, the ultimate goal of design is to solve problems beautifully, and we’ve all come together to do just that.”

“Today, we proudly welcome Boeing and Atlas Air to Greenville,” said Timmons. “When I was first approached by Discommon in Greenville, I knew these masks would make a huge difference for our health care workers at Prisma Health who are on the front lines fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. We immediately got to work to make this happen. Today’s delivery showcases the good that can be done when businesses, non-profits, and the government join together. This PPE will go a long way for folks here in the Upstate and across the Midlands.”

Said U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, “Today’s delivery of medical masks for Prisma Health is tremendous news! The entire Palmetto State is thankful to Boeing, Atlas Air and Discommon Concepts for making this shipment a reality in order to equip our medical personnel during these unprecedented times. It’s partnerships like these led by companies in South Carolina that will ensure we are fully prepared to defeat COVID-19.”

About Prisma Health
Prisma Health is a not-for-profit health company and the largest healthcare system in South Carolina. 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.

About Boeing
Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners, defense, space and security systems, and service provider of aftermarket support. As America’s biggest manufacturing exporter, the company supports airlines and U.S. and allied government customers in more than 150 countries. Boeing products and tailored services include commercial and military aircraft, satellites, weapons, electronic and defense systems, launch systems, advanced information and communication systems, and performance-based logistics and training. South Carolina is home to the Boeing Company’s second 787 Dreamliner final assembly and delivery facility. The site also fabricates, assembles and installs systems for aft (rear) fuselage sections of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner and joins and integrates midbody fuselage sections. In 2014, the Boeing South Carolina expanded with the opening of the Boeing Research & Technology Center, which focuses on advanced manufacturing technology and composite fuselage manufacturing; and Propulsion South Carolina, where the design and assembly of the 737 MAX engine nacelle inlet is done. For more information, visit Boeing.com.

About Discommon
Discommon specializes in left-of-center concepts and production of fine goods. We are aimed at the class of designers and customers expecting supreme quality, durability and timeless luxury, but looking for an innovative approach and unexpected output. We are fueled by the thrill of collaborating with our global network of industrial designers and engineering specialists across the automotive, electronics, motorcycle, furniture, fashion, luxury spirits and jewelry industries. For more on Discommon, please visit Discommon.com.

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Columbia, SC (March 7, 2020) – The patient from Kershaw County with presumptive positive novel coronavirus (COVID-19), which was confirmed by the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control (SC DHEC), has been transferred to Prisma Health Richland Hospital in Columbia. The patient is in a special isolation room that helps keep our team members and the community safe. Because of our expertise, Prisma Health routinely treats patients with potentially infectious diseases and follows extensive protocols to ensure the safety of our patients, team members, community and visitors.

Prisma Health physicians, Emergency Management and Infection Prevention teams are following established infection control protocols and working closely with our partners at SC DHEC and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Scott Sasser, M.D., Prisma Health acute care chief clinical officer for the Midlands, said, “The health and wellbeing of our community, including our team members, is of the utmost importance. I want to reassure everyone that Prisma Health is prepared to respond to COVID-19. We have enacted our Hospital Incident Management Team (HIMT) across Prisma Health to continue to manage our approach to this public health concern. As part of our approach, we have extensive plans in place to handle this kind of incident.”

Sasser added, “We want to commend our entire team, especially our front-line caregivers. They are showing their commitment to our community by caring for this patient. We have a team who not only is well prepared with the proper training, but also has all proper protective equipment to minimize their risk of exposure.”

As a reminder to the public, if you believe you may have COVID-19, call your doctor first.

For more information about what Prisma Health is doing to inform the community about COVID-19, visit PrismaHealth.org/Coronavirus. Community members also can access Prisma Health Virtual Visit, a quick online care option for common conditions which includes a new on-demand video option and an online visit option.

Prisma Health joins all South Carolina hospitals to further restrict visitors to protect patients, staff and the community. This change affects Prisma Health hospitals, Emergency Departments and outpatient facilities.

Beginning at 7 a.m., Friday, March 20, visitors will no longer be allowed in our hospitals. This includes the Emergency Department, procedure areas as well as inpatient areas.

Taking into account the circumstances that exist with some of our patient populations, one (1) visitor per patient will be allowed for the following:

• Pediatrics patients
• Obstetrics patients
• Neonatal Intensive Care Unit patients
• End of life events

Children less than 18 years of age will not be approved as visitors. Additionally, there will be no visitors for patients suspected of or who have tested positive for COVID-19.