Email usLiteracy Award
Recently, the Columbia Area Reading Council nominated the Junior League of Columbia for the South Carolina International Reading Association's Literacy Award. This award is given annually to an individual or group of individuals who made significant contributions to literacy in their community and/or state. Columbia Area Reading Council's nomination recognized the tremendous impact that JLC's Smart Matters program made on literacy within many schools in Richland One. The Literacy Committee was impressed with the number of students, as well as parents, who benefited from the Smart Matters program. Our award letter from Linda Grant, Chairperson of the Literacy Committee, stated, "The fact that this program has been in effect since 1997, is a true testimony to the dedication and commitment of the Junior League of Columbia."
South Carolina Vaccine Assurance for All Children
The more you know...the more you can help. DHEC offers free childhood and adolescent immunizations to eligible children through a program called the South Carolina Vaccine Assurance for All Children (VAFAC) Immunization Partnership. This program is available in many private physician's offices and most county public health departments. The VAFAC program is available to Medicaid enrolled patients, as well as the uninsured or underinsured. You are underinsured if your heath insurance does not cover all of your child's immunizations. For example, if you have a specific dollar maximum for well-child visits or preventative care, you may be underinsured during a child's first year, when immunizations are administered. If you are underinsured, notify your pediatrician that you would like to participate in the VAFAC program. Although there will be a vaccine administration fee, it is substantially less than paying for the vaccine out-of-pocket. VAFAC shots are likely administered at your pediatrician's office, so you would not need to visit the health department.
