DPH Launches Online South Carolina Health Compass

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Jul. 1, 2025

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina today announced the launch of South Carolina Health Compass — an online collection of data dashboards containing the most comprehensive county-level health information available. 

The health compass contains interactive data for the public, policymakers and researchers that is from the 2023 South Carolina State Health Assessment. It supports Live Healthy South Carolina, a statewide collaborative to improve the health of all South Carolinians. The data, which will be updated regularly, can be used in Community Health Assessments and by community coalitions, local municipalities, colleges, and students to inform health program planning, policy, education, and grant activities. 

“The South Carolina Health Compass is a comprehensive project that makes critical data more accessible than ever,” said Dr. Edward Simmer, interim DPH director. “A project like this could not be achieved without continued collaboration and the strong partnerships we’ve worked to developed across our state. This project allows us to create something that can be used by anyone to help improve the health of South Carolinians for years to come.”

The dashboards contained in the health compass include South Carolina’s population, healthy communities, healthy mothers and infants, healthy children and adolescents, healthy adults, healthy aging, and health vulnerabilities. 

“The South Carolina Health Compass will provide South Carolinians with a one-stop-shop for local-level data that can be used to improve the health of our state’s communities” said Katie O’Shields Free, director of DPH’s Section of Epidemiology, Analysis & Data Visualization.

The South Carolina Health Compass was funded by a Duke Endowment Grant awarded to the Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina. The inclusion of more than 120 social and health indicators was possible because of the robust data DPH has, as well as external data stewards, including the South Carolina Office of Revenue of Fiscal Affairs.

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