The South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health, in partnership with the South Carolina Office of Rural Health, is hosting six one-day local Health Policy Fellows Programs in select rural communities across the state.

The Health Policy Fellows Program is a signature program of IMPH and advances the mission of the Institute, to collectively inform policy to improve health and health care in South Carolina. IMPH serves as an informed nonpartisan convenor and educator for policymakers and community leaders and facilitates conversation about policy decisions that impact the health and well-being of our residents.

Through these sessions, IMPH helps policymakers and key stakeholders engage in deliberative dialogue about health inequities facing South Carolina’s rural communities. The IMPH team will lead participants through three learning objectives.

First, the participants will receive information on social and environmental determinants of health and assess their own awareness of factors that affect the health of their communities. Second, they will learn about racial inequities in health and well-being and the vulnerabilities revealed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Third, participants will be led through discussion to develop ideas to address health equity and improve health outcomes in their community.