Mission
Environmental Health is charged with protecting the health of South Carolina’s families, our visitors, and our environment through the application of scientific principles and sound management practices in the areas of Food Protection, Onsite Wastewater Management, and General Sanitation. The focus of the Bureau is to develop and promulgate regulations; interpret regulations; to assess needs; seek out and allocate resources including information, technology, and funding; evaluate progress and process; assure quality, consistency and equity in the uniform application of laws and regulations; and to assist regional health office staff in the delivery of services. The focuses of regional programs are to efficiently and effectively deliver Environmental Health services to our customers.
Bureau Overview
Although the Bureau is organized into divisions with names that imply fairly specific responsibilities, and many regional offices mirror this structure, Environmental Health is a complete discipline with its own place in the practice of public health. Within Environmental Health, the skills, knowledge, and abilities of those who manage and practice Environmental Health are reasonably and readily transferable from one program area to another. After a few years of experience, most of our employees are capable of working in any program area.
Environmental Health programs are a joint effort of the Bureau of Environmental Health and the Environmental Health sections of the regional health offices and forty-six county offices. The Bureau itself is organized into four divisions. The regional health offices generally organize along the same lines as the Bureau with a Regional Environmental Health Director in charge. The Regional Environmental Health Director is under the supervision of the Regional Health Director.
Office of the Bureau Director
The responsibilities of the Bureau Director and his staff include assigning and coordinating the responsibilities of the divisions, promulgating regulations, and establishing Bureau policy. Each division's responsibilities include evaluating the regional health offices' work in their corresponding area; the Bureau Director's responsibility is to monitor and evaluate the regional health offices' work as a whole. As a part of this, the Director participates in evaluation of the Regional Environmental Health Directors.
Staff and Contact Information
Telephone: (803) 896-0646
Fax: (803) 896-0645
Roger D. Scott, Bureau Director
scottrd@dhec.sc.gov
Laura Roland, Administrative Assistant
rolandle@dhec.sc.gov