“The fact that you have been an integral part of our community for generations means that you have also treated the mothers of the patients you are now treating and, in some cases, the grandmothers. You are part of our community and that is important,” Hutto said.

“Without a facility like this, I don’t know where we would be,” he said.

Hutto, a Democrat from Orangeburg, was the keynote speaker at the Family Health Centers Stakeholder Breakfast on Aug. 8. It was held at the center’s training center on Presidential Drive in Orangeburg.

The theme was “Strengthening communities through caring connections.”

The FHC’s service area includes seven branch offices. The services offered include adult medicine, pediatrics and gynecology.

Hutto, chair of the Joint Citizens and Legislature Committee on Children, highlighted the health care challenges facing the state’s citizens, especially its children.

“We travel around the state every year. … Many of the issues we hear about revolve around children’s health,” Hutto said.

He particularly mentioned the need to address the issues of vaccinations and childhood obesity.

“We need to get back to making sure all of our young mothers and fathers know that timely vaccinations are a routine part of our little babies’ health care,” Hutto said.

Fast food and too much screen time have contributed to the prevalence of childhood obesity. Screen time has also led to “an increase in behavioral problems among young people at a rate we have not seen in years.”

“If your church or your organization doesn’t have an opportunity for youth activities, you have work to do. That goes for all of us,” Hutto said.

He urged the audience to also reach out to the local school system and encourage children to learn “complementary health skills” such as respiratory and occupational therapy, given the shortage of health workers across the state.

“If you have the opportunity to tutor or mentor, allow a child to shadow you as you work, or offer an activity in the summer where the child can work for a few weeks and watch you,” make it happen, he said.

“All of this has to do with health. Every time you touch a child’s life, you have the opportunity to move it in a positive direction,” Hutto said.

He said care for the state’s youngest population is hampered by a lack of adequate daycare centers and daycare staff.

“I know some of our largest employers are concerned about this because they need workers. … We need to address this. This is a state-level policy issue that we’ve talked about,” Hutto said.

Lawmakers also discussed the transportation and housing needs of workers across the state.

“It directly makes people and children feel good,” he said.

The proliferation of guns, fentanyl and e-cigarettes are other problems affecting the state’s children, he said.

“These are all health problems that occur in our community. We may think they don’t occur here, but they do,” he said.

Communities need to offer young people “structured activities,” he said.

“We need to give our children the opportunity to engage in safe and healthy outdoor activities. We need to limit their screen time and, most importantly, make sure they can attend a good school so they can get a good education,” Hutto said.

He said that the provision of health care is as important as health care itself.

“We need to create incentives for health workers to return to rural areas. … Realistically, if we train our own staff here, we are more likely to be able to train them and keep them in the community,” Hutto said.

“We offer some incentives for the highest level scholarships. Right now, you get scholarships based on your grades or your SAT. We give you even more if you’re in education or healthcare. Those are things we lack. And that affects all levels of healthcare,” Hutto said.

MUSC Health-Orangeburg is expanding its telemedicine presence, he said, which helps offset at least some of the problems brought about by the shortage of health care workers.

“There’s a lot to be said for living in Orangeburg, but we’re not spreading the word. Orangeburg is on the verge of growth,” he said.

To address challenges in areas such as housing, health care and education, the community must work together, Hutto said.

“The motto is ‘Strengthening communities through caring connections.’ Those connections are you. Each of you works for someone or is connected to someone who is dealing with one of these issues. You help children, you are involved in health care, you are involved in law enforcement,” Hutto said.

“We all have to work together because only by working together can we become the community that Orangeburg can be,” he said.

Doris Williams-Haigler, interim executive director of the FHC, highlighted the receipt of a grant that will enable the FHC to rebuild its obstetrics and gynecology department. The department includes one obstetrician and three midwives.

“We were without these providers for about three years and through a grant we were able to raise the funds to help us reinstate this service in the community,” Williams-Haigler said.

“Women’s health is critical to ensure they get the services they need during and after pregnancy and to ensure that the babies who are born are healthy and able to thrive, because the mortality rate among minority infants is very high,” she said.

Williams-Haigler continued, “Our goal of helping the underserved by improving health care outcomes and removing barriers to affordable care is being achieved. But there is still much work to be done.”

Dr. Vicki Young, CEO of the SC Primary Health Care Association, read a proclamation signed by Governor Henry McMaster declaring August 4-10 as National Health Care Centers Week.

She said her office was committed to working with Hutto “and other stakeholders to address or further address the issues you have outlined.”