SCHA launched their Zero Harm Awards in 2014 as an effort to recognize South Carolina hospitals that were on the forefront of preventing medical errors, which by some estimates is the third leading cause of death in the United States.

Thanks to a collaboration with The Duke Endowment and The Joint Commission Center for Transforming Health and ongoing support from BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, our member hospitals have continually united on statewide efforts to create a culture of high reliability and reduce harm in our facilities by implementing robust, evidence-based practices that are making a positive impact on patients and the safety and quality of care.

The Certified Zero Harm Awards began with a core idea—that zero harm as a goal was possible in a highly reliable system—and began rewarding hospitals who went extended stretches free of hospital-acquired infections in common categories and procedures.  This statewide effort was also unique, thanks to SCHA’s collaboration with the South Carolina Department of Public Health (SCDPH), which independently verified the awards. Over time, the program has been expanded and modified, and now includes the Drive to Zero Suicide Award, the Drive to Zero Harm Leadership Award and the Zero Harm Excellence Award.

“This early success—expressed in lives saved and the resulting economic impact—strengthens our resolve to focus on safety, raise the bar of expectations, and challenge our hospitals to pursue zero harm,” says SCHA President and CEO Thornton Kirby.

“We’re in the business, after all, of saving lives. And that’s what the Zero Harm Awards are all about.”

For a one-page explainer of the Certified Zero Harm Awards, click here.

Below is a complete list of our 2023 award recipients, listed by hospital.

Abbeville Area Medical Center

Aiken Regional Medical Centers

AnMed Cannon

AnMed Health Women's and Children's Hospital

AnMed Medical Center

Beaufort Memorial Hospital

Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital

Carolina Pines Regional Medical Center

Cherokee Medical Center

Coastal Carolina Hospital

Colleton Medical Center

Columbia VA Health Care System

Conway Medical Center

East Cooper Medical Center

Edgefield County Healthcare

Hampton Regional Medical Center

Hilton Head Hospital

Lexington Medical Center

McLeod Health Cheraw

McLeod Health Clarendon

McLeod Health Dillon

McLeod Health Loris

McLeod Health Seacoast

McLeod Regional Medical Center

MUSC Health - Orangeburg

MUSC Health Chester Medical Center

MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown

MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Northeast

MUSC Health Florence Medical Center

MUSC Health Florence Rehabilitation Center

MUSC Health Kershaw Medical Center

MUSC Health Lancaster Medical Center

MUSC Health Marion Medical Center

Newberry County Memorial Hospital

Pelham Medical Center

Piedmont Medical Center

Prisma Health Baptist Easley Hospital

Prisma Health Baptist Hospital

Prisma Health Baptist Parkridge Hospital

Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital

Prisma Health Greer Memorial Hospital

Prisma Health Hillcrest Hospital

Prisma Health Laurens County Hospital

Prisma Health North Greenville Hospital

Prisma Health Oconee Memorial Hospital

Prisma Health Patewood Hospital

Prisma Health Richland Hospital

Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital

Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center

Roper Hospital

Roper St. Francis Berkeley Hospital

Roper St. Francis Mount Pleasant Hospital

Self Regional Healthcare

Shriners Hospitals for Children

Spartanburg Hospital for Restorative Care

Spartanburg Medical Center Church Street Campus

Spartanburg Medical Center Mary Black Campus

Spartanburg Medical Center Mary Black Center for Rehabilitative Medicine

St. Francis Downtown

St. Francis Eastside

Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital

Tidelands Waccamaw Community Hospital

Union Medical Center