UofSC Interim President Dr. Harris Pastides, Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker Sanders to Co-Chair

COLUMBIA, S.C. and RALEIGH, N.C. (June 1, 2021) — The South Carolina Institute of Medicine and Public Health (IMPH) and the North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) announced today the creation of the Carolinas Pandemic Preparedness Task Force. The task force will be chaired by University of South Carolina Interim President Dr. Harris Pastides and North Carolina Secretary of Commerce Machelle Baker Sanders.  

Over the past year, IMPH and NCIOM have worked jointly to develop this initiative, which will provide North and South Carolina with recommendations for a resilient response to future disease outbreaks. Task force members, led by steering committee representatives from both states, will work and learn collaboratively to develop evidence-based recommendations to support future state and local planning efforts.

The task force will examine lessons learned during the current pandemic in areas related to health, education and economic and social stability with a guiding focus on equity and responding to the needs of historically marginalized and vulnerable populations.

With funding and support from The Duke Endowment, the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the BlueCross® BlueShield® of South Carolina Foundation (an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association), and the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, steering committee meetings are underway. Full task force meetings will take place from July 2021 to April 2022, followed by the publication of a final report from each state in June 2022.

About IMPH

The South Carolina Institute of Medicine & Public Health (IMPH) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization working to collectively inform policy to improve health and health care in South Carolina. In conducting its work, IMPH takes a comprehensive approach to advancing health issues through data analysis and translation and collaborative engagement. IMPH seeks to achieve its mission by convening a diverse group of stakeholders around health issues important to South Carolina. Learn more at imph.org

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About NCIOM

The North Carolina Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) is an independent organization focused on improving the health and well-being of North Carolinians by providing analysis on the health and well-being of North Carolinians, identifying solutions to the health issues facing our state, building consensus toward evidence-based solutions, and informing health policy at the state and local level. Learn more at nciom.org/about-us. 

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