COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Senate has confirmed the new director for the SC Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC).
Senators approved Dr. Edward Simmer to lead the state's health agency after the organization held an interim director for the past few months. Dr. Simmer was chosen in December by the board to serve as the new director.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster released a statement following the confirmation.
“Dr. Simmer has a lifetime of experience leading large, complex medical organizations and has successfully brought positive change everywhere he has been. He clearly has all of the professional qualifications and leadership skills necessary to lead the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The people of South Carolina will be well served by his confirmation.”
The position has been vacant since early June of last year, when Rick Toomey resigned from DHEC. That's left the chief agency dealing with the state's greatest medical emergency in over a century with no permanent leader.
Marshall Taylor, the agency's chief legal counsel, has been serving as the agency's interim director.
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“We are grateful to the Senate for confirming Dr. Simmer to the helm of South Carolina’s public health and environmental agency during the state’s unprecedented COVID-19 response," said Mark Elam, chairman of the S.C. Board of Health and Environmental Control. "Dr. Simmer brings with him a wealth of executive management and in-the-field medical experience through his more than 30-year naval career. His decision to continue his legacy of service with South Carolina reflects the core values of DHEC and its team of dedicated and talented employees. He is well positioned to provide the steady and able leadership needed to address the challenges of today and tomorrow."
Dr. Simmer, an Ohio native, served as a Captain in the U.S. Navy, and held various positions in in healthcare. According to DHEC, he has over 25 years of experience in leadership.
He received his Doctor of Medicine from Saint Louis University and holds a Master of Public Health, with a focus on epidemiology, from the Eastern Virginia Medical School/Old Dominion University Consortium as well as a bachelor of arts from Hiram College. He is also a Board Certified in General and Forensic Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and has an Administrative Psychiatry Certification from the American Psychiatric Association.
"It is an honor to be called on to serve the state that I proudly call home during this unparalleled moment in the history of our state and nation,” Dr. Simmer said. “DHEC’s mission to protect and promote the health of the public and the environment on behalf of all South Carolinians is something I take very seriously. From the frontlines to our living rooms, COVID-19 has challenged us all. We have made sacrifices and lost loved ones. However, together, with agency staff and our many partners, I am confident that we will get through this and come back stronger than before. I look forward to serving alongside DHEC’s incredible team of employees and am looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting to work.”
To view Dr. Simmer's official biography, click here.
