May 1, 2024 –The South Carolina Department of Social Services (SCDSS) recognizes May as Foster Care Awareness Month to highlight the important role that foster parents, kinship caregivers, child placing agencies and supporting non-profits play in working together with families to achieve reunification for children and youth in foster care. The collaborative efforts, as part of the larger child and family well-being community, are essential in helping to strengthen families in South Carolina.
This year’s National Foster Care Awareness Month theme as determined by the Children’s Bureau is “Engaging Youth: Building Supports. Strengthening
pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The second number, your diastolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats. If the measurement reads 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, you would say, “120 over 80,” or write, \ddot { } \dot { } 1 2 0 / 8 0 \mathrm { m m } \mathrm { H g } .”
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Normal Blood Pressure for Most Adults – Less than 1 2 0 / 8 0 \mathrm { m m H g }
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High Blood Pressure – 130 or higher/80 or higher mm Hg
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Stay informed. Discuss high blood pressure with your healthcare provider. Talk to your healthcare provider about your risks and ways to manage your blood pressure to help prevent stroke and dementia.
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Take your medications. Your healthcare provider may recommend taking medicine daily to prevent stroke and heart attack, especially if you have high blood pressure.
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Quit smoking or using tobacco. Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body, including the heart. Any amount of smoking damages the heart and blood vessels.
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Manage your cholesterol levels. Reducing your cholesterol will lower your risk of developing a wide variety of serious health issues, including stroke and heart disease.
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Eat healthy foods and exercise. Choose plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Get about 30 minutes of moderate to intense exercise, such as brisk walking or bicycling,
Opportunities.” This year’s theme highlights the need to create a child welfare system that authentically engages and supports young people who are preparing to leave foster care.
When children and youth cannot remain safely in their own home, foster parents provide a safe, nurturing environment while in foster care. As of May 1, the online SCDSS Foster Care Dashboard shows there are 3,413 children and youth currently in foster care in South Carolina.
“Often times children and youth age out of foster care without the support and resources to help them become successful adults,” said Michael Leach, DSS State Director. “It’s important
