The South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council (SCHAC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that serves anyone regardless of race, gender, socio-economic status, or sexual orientation. The agency was founded in 1994 as the African American HIV/AIDS Council to address HIV prevention and early intervention service gaps in South Carolina. In 2004, the name was changed to the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council. Since the beginning of the epidemic, South Carolina has continuously and consistently ranked in the top ten (10) among all states in the rate of HI/AIDS until 2015 where South Carolina now ranks 13th.
It is a core belief of the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council that, when it comes to matters of sexual health, secrecy and shame put lives at risk. For over twenty years, SCHAC has sought to combat stigma and reduce the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases in South Carolina through prevention, education, and advocacy. By engaging community leaders in necessary conversation, and meeting the needs of the most vulnerable—with free and rapid testing services, psychological counseling programs, and access to lifesaving medication—SCHAC extends quality healthcare to those at risk and neutralizes the atmosphere of judgment that still pervades public discussions around HIV. SCHAC and its initiatives are supported in part by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Georgia, and the South Carolina Department of Public Health, and other public and private investors who support the prevention and intervention efforts of an agency that seeks to stay at the forefront of innovation and advocacy. SCHAC Services include:
The South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council created the first alternative testing prevention-counseling site in the state and has screened over 12,000 citizens within the Midlands since 2001. Through a contact with SCDHEC, SCHAC served as a technical assistance provider for five high incidence counties where community syphilis screening was initiated.
We remain unique from other AIDS Service Organizations throughout the state and local metropolitan statistical area (MSA) for our exclusive ownership of the first and only HIV/STI mobile testing unit and the Wright Wellness Center which opened in March 2014 as the only non-profit, community based evening/weekend STI treatment clinic in the Columbia MSA.
Dr. Bambi W. Gaddist, DrPH
Executive Director
dr.gaddist@schivaidscouncil.org
Dr. Jacob P. White, MD
Deputy Director
Cynthia Howell
Director of Finance
chowell@schivaidscouncil.org
Beverly James
Human Resources Liaison | Bookkeeper
bjames@schivaidscouncil.org
Sandra Wise
Director of Marketing/Development
Vivian Armstead
Project Coordinator
varmstead@schivaidscouncil.org
Chestley Price
Sr. Community Health Specialist
cprice@schivaidscouncil.org
Rhonda Thomas
Lead Medical Case Manager
Kiahleah Sumpter
Linkage to Care Coordinator
ksumpter@schivaidscouncil.org
Jamie Troutman, ABD
Data Manager
nmgutshini@schivaidscouncil.org
Dr. Jacob P. White – MD
Deputy Director
Cynthia Howell
Director of Finance
chowell@schivaidscouncil.org
Isaac Frederick
ACA | Benefits Navigator
ifrederick@schivaidscouncil.org
Shernell Sells
Sr. Community Health Specialist
V. Amber Hasben
Office Manager
ahasben@schivaidscouncil.org
Francis "Lamont" Adams
Sr. Community Health Specialist
fadams@schivaidscouncil.org
Conrad Brooks
Community Health Specialist
Deloris Nickelson
Community Health Specialist
dnickelson@schivaidscouncil.org
Earnest Brown
Peer Navigator
Courtney Hightower
Community Health Specialist
Nikki Harp
FOCUS Project Coordinator
nharp@schivaidscouncil.org
Tawana Folston
Specialized Case Manager
tfolston@schivaidscouncil.org
Herbert Davis
Outreach Specialist
Ryan Murray
Peer Adherence Coach
rmurray@schivaidscouncil.org
Tiesha Ogwin
Community Health Specialist/Medical Assistant
togwin@schivaidscouncil.org
Kenric Ware – Board Chair
Asst. Professor of Pharmacy Practice, South University
Kbware@southuniversity.edu 404.983.7720 | mobile
Dr. Tanya Smith Brice – Vice Chair
Dean of the School of Health Human Services, Benedict College
tanyasmithbrice@gmail.com 254.652.7976 | mobile
Lemuel Watson – Secretary
Community Activist, SC HIV Planning Council
Executive Director – Center for
Innovation in Higher Education
864.356.4471 | mobile
803.777.5205 | office
Paula Watson – Past Board Chair
Consultant
Prvinson59@gmail.com
803.409.8752 | mobile
Raia Hirsch – Member
Attorney at Law, Raia Jane Hirsch
raia@rjhirschlaw.com
803.929.0770 | mobile
Dr. Ronnie Hopkins – Member
Dean of the Freshman Institute
Benedict College
Rhopkinsphd@yahoo.com
803.260.5956 | mobile
Frances Ashe-Goins, RN, MPH, FAAN – Member
Private Consultant
Adjunct Professor USC School of Public Health College of Nursing
franashe@aol.com
703.801.2420 | mobile
Clare Folio Morris – Member
Owner, Clare Morris Agency
clare@claremorrisagency.com 803.413.6808 | mobile