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Struggling with Knee or Shoulder Pain that won't improve?
From serious sports injuries causing tissue damage to bone issues and stiffness that comes with age, living with pain is, well, a pain. But it's more than that - it's a stressful, often upsetting way to get through your day, month, and year. Have you ever tried to get out of bed with sore, stiff knees? Most folks would rather just get back in bed. Think you might try exercising with plantar fasciitis? Don't plan on running far or doing cardio for very long. Torn rotator cuff? Without proper treatment, your life might not ever be the same.
Living with pain and the inevitable issues that come with age can seriously affect your wellbeing and happiness. Sure, you could wake up every morning and rely on addicting medications to help you move. Or, you could risk further injury and damage with invasive surgeries that require long periods of recovery and downtime. But those can't be the only two options for treatment, can they?
Fortunately, a new, natural, non-invasive treatment for pain is revolutionizing the medical industry and transforming people's lives. It's giving athletes, average folks, and people of a certain age a reason to be hopeful. It's called Softwave therapy, and unlike many fly-by-night medications and sketchy treatments, it's backed by science and provided by Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine.
If you're barely making it through the day suffering from chronic pain, this FDA-approved drug-free treatment may be for you. Softwave therapy has already been used by thousands of people around the country living with issues like shoulder pain, knee pain, and plantar fasciitis. You could be next.
Though its popularity has only grown in recent years, Softwave therapy - also known as shockwave therapy - has been around for years. In fact, the first systematic study into the benefits of shockwave therapy took place way back in 1950. So, what is Softwave therapy?
Softwave therapy is a method of treatment that works incredibly well for mobility rehab, pain relief, and full-body recovery, usually from chronic pain or injuries. Softwave therapy uses a device emitting low-energy soundwaves that target a patient's injured area. These low-intensity waves boost blood flow and kickstart your body's natural healing processes, relieving long-term pain and helping your body to heal a wide range of injuries and conditions.
The main targets in the body include bones, tendons, and other soft tissues, which are encouraged to regenerate and repair via the shockwaves. Often, shockwave therapy is used in conjunction with other non-invasive treatments like chiropractic care, which we offer at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine. The results are often incredible, leaving patients wondering why they never tried Softwave therapy before.
Softwave therapy works especially well for:
Better Blood Flow
Collagen Stimulation
Reducing Inflammation
Kickstarting cell growth and healing factors
Breaking down build-ups of calcium
With FDA clearance, little-to-no side effects, and quick application time, Softwave therapy is a welcome alternative for people suffering from pain. Who wants to spend weeks or months recovering from a surgery that might not even work? Likewise, who would want to become dependent on over-the-counter or, even worse, prescription pain meds? Living a life of addiction is a road nobody wants to go down.
Softwave therapy represents a revolution in non-invasive pain treatment; best of all, it's highly effective. Independent studies prove that shockwave therapy helps with pain. 65-91% of patients using shockwave therapy experienced real-deal improvements in damaged muscle and bone tissue, solving their mobility problems and drastically reducing pain. It almost sounds too good to be true, but as many patients at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine will tell you - it isn't.
Book AppointmentSome of the most common conditions that Softwave therapy treats include:
When you get up in the morning and go to the bathroom to brush your teeth, do you notice a stabbing, sharp pain near your heel? Does the pain go away once you have a chance to walk around? If so, you could have plantar fasciitis. According to the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons, this painful condition is quite common. About two million people suffer from plantar fasciitis every year, and almost 10% of all people will experience the condition at least once in their life.
This common foot issue happens when the plantar fascia - a fan-shaped tissue near your heel - gets inflamed. The plantar fascia is a thick strip of connective tissue that links your toes to your heel bone, helping to preserve the arch of your foot. When this band is strained, it causes intensely sharp pain, usually in the morning when you wake up and plant your feet on the floor.
Most folks ignore plantar fasciitis because the pain eventually goes away throughout the day. However, if left untreated, plantar fasciitis can lead to weakness and chronic pain, which may affect daily walking.
Some causes of plantar fasciitis include:
The short answer to this question is not really. Patients with plantar fasciitis will ice the affected area with little-to-no relief since they spend so much time on their feet. It's hard to rest an achy heel if you've got a job that requires you to be on your feet. Anti-inflammatory meds like Advil don't work all that well, either. They may provide temporary pain relief, but in terms of a long-term solution, taking these drugs will cause major side effects.
Book Appointment
When more conservative treatment options like ice and over-the-counter meds don't work, most doctors turn to ultra-expensive orthotics, steroid injections, or invasive surgery. For the average person, those options fail on all fronts, as they carry risks for side effects and may even cause the issue to worsen.
Instead of going under the knife or changing their daily routines, many people suffering from plantar fasciitis are turning to Softwave therapy for relief.
During a shockwave therapy session, our expert providers use a special probe to deliver pressure waves to inflamed tissue. These waves trigger natural healing processes causing new blood vessels to form. In turn, oxygen is supplied to the affected area, reducing inflammation and causing healthy cells to regenerate. Shockwave therapy also produces collagen, which is crucial for connective tissue health.
With just a few visits, many patients find long-term relief from plantar fasciitis without relying on strange drugs or harmful surgeries.
Living with knee pain is just miserable. From knee tendonitis to osteoarthritis, knee pain can prevent you from enjoying activities and affect your day-to-day life. Your knee is a joint comprised of cartilage, bone, ligaments, and fluids. Tendons and muscles within the knee help the joint move. When one of these crucial knee structures is hurt or compromised, it results in knee pain and long-lasting knee problems. This, in turn, leads to difficulty walking at best and debilitating knee issues at worse.
If you're an active person or somebody who plays sports often, you're probably all too familiar with knee pain - especially common conditions like patellar tendinopathy. Also called "jumpers knee," this issue happens at the patellar tendon, which is found on the front of the knee just under the knee cap. When living with this condition, most patients experience pain around the kneecap or lower down on the leg around the tibia.
In addition to injuries and issues like jumper's knee, everyday wear and tear will cause knee pain over time. With time, this knee pain can develop into arthritis. If your knees are swollen, painful, or stiff, you may have arthritis in your knees. Regardless of the kind of knee pain you're experiencing, treatment options have been limited to agonizing surgeries and addicting pain medications. But that all changes with shockwave therapy for knee pain in Charleston, SC.
Though no two knee pain problems are exactly the same, shockwave therapy has been shown to be highly effective for knee pain. In fact, many patients at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine find relief after just one session. Many times, sessions can be completed in as little as 30 minutes. So if you want to find relief for knee pain on your lunch break, that's definitely possible.
As is the case with plantar fasciitis, Softwave therapy works by sending sound wave and low-energy impulses to the affected area of your knee. These pulses stimulate your body's healing factors, which can help regenerate and repair damaged tendons and tissues. Softwave therapy for knee pain is especially promising for people who have tried other treatments - like surgery and pain meds - with disappointing results.
Benefits include:
Several studies and reviews prove that Softwave therapy can be very beneficial for people suffering from knee pain problems like jumper's knee. A study involving 66 patients with knee pain found that they enjoyed a significant improvement in their reported pain levels with Softwave therapy. In fact, knee pain was reduced by nearly 50% after a single month. When combined with other regenerative and physical therapy treatments at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine, your days of living with knee pain are numbered.
Book AppointmentHere's a fact for you to consider: Every joint that you have in your body plays a part in your day-to-day life. But when we think of joint issues, we typically jump to knee issues. However, your knees aren't the only joints in your body to go through wear and tear. Your shoulders experience just as much, if not more, wear and tear than your knees. We put a strain on our shoulders just about every time we use or move our arms. Our shoulders play a pivotal part in living a normal life. When they begin to deteriorate over time due to age or overuse, it creates a litany of painful problems.
There are many causes of shoulder pain, like deterioration, inflammation, and trauma. Of the many painful shoulder conditions affecting Americans yearly, rotator cuff tendonitis and arthritis are very common. Also called calcific tendinitis, rotator cuff pain is caused by built-up calcium deposits on the shoulder's tendons, which connect your rotator cuff to nearby muscles and bones. This painful condition is usually linked to sports, like basketball and volleyball, or in professions requiring repetitive movements, like in the plumbing industry.
Some common symptoms of shoulder pain and rotator cuff tendinitis include:
Though strengthening exercises and some medications provide temporary relief for shoulder pain, they're not meant as long-term solutions. Luckily, Softwave therapy for rotator cuff pain in Charleston, SC, can help.
Shockwave therapy has been shown to work wonders for shoulder pain. Low-intensity shockwaves break up calcium deposits and jumpstart your body's healing processes, stimulating blood flow and healthy cell growth. Shockwave treatment is especially effective for long-term shoulder pain since it releases stem cells, sends growth factors to the affected area, and boosts capillary production. Shockwave therapy has also been shown to break down scar tissue and eliminate trigger points, all of which decrease shoulder pain. This relief is most often long-lasting, unlike other treatments like medications and injections.
Many studies support the efficacy of Softwave therapy for shoulder conditions like rotator cuff pain and calcific tendonitis of the shoulder. In a study of 84 patients living with long-term rotator cuff tendonitis, participants in the treatment group saw a significant decrease in the intensity of their shoulder pain. Another study related to shockwave therapy for calcific tendonitis found that 86.6% of patients experienced fewer calcifications.
If you're having to live with rotator cuff pain or another type of shoulder issue, choosing Softwave therapy may be your best course of action.
Book AppointmentWhether you're sick of living with intense heel pain from plantar fasciitis, the mobility issues associated with knee pain, or the day-to-day struggles of rotator cuff degeneration, you'll find hope at Elite Healthcare Physical Medicine. Unlike some medical clinics, our team of doctors and specialists focus on an integrative, multidisciplinary approach to healing. Instead of relying on addictive medications and invasive surgeries, we prefer to address the underlying causes that our patients face.
We combine several all-natural pain relief therapies so that your shoulder pain, knee pain, joint pain, and foot pain go away for good. We resolve pain by using healing treatments that restore function and improve mobility for the long term. Our state-of-the-art regenerative medicine treatments, used hand-in-hand with proven chiropractic techniques, will stimulate your body's healing power from within. If your pain is related to muscles, nerves, and bones, our doctors can help you overcome discomfort, injury, or medical conditions affecting these systems.
If you've been unable to resolve your pain or have become dependent on painkillers to cope, Softwave therapy may be the natural solution you need. It all starts with a quick call to our office, so we can begin to understand your needs. When you come for your first visit, our doctors will find the personalized treatment you need so that you can manage your pain in a non-invasive and drug-free environment manner.
Book AppointmentCollege of Charleston Cougars (21-3) vs. Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (12-12)The Line: Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens +5.5 / College of Charleston Cougars -5.5 ; Over/Under: 148.5 (Get latest betting odds)The College of Charleston Cougars and the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens meet Saturday in college basketball actio...
College of Charleston Cougars (21-3) vs. Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (12-12)
The Line: Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens +5.5 / College of Charleston Cougars -5.5 ; Over/Under: 148.5 (Get latest betting odds)
The College of Charleston Cougars and the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens meet Saturday in college basketball action from Bob Carpenter Center. Charleston is coming off a Thursday game versus Drexel. In that one the Cougars lost by a single point. As for Delaware, they played Monmouth in their Thursday game. The Hens would go on to lose that game by eight. Check back all season long for free college basketball picks at Sports Chat Place.
Charleston Cougars
The Cougars lost just one of their first 22 games this year, a 102-86 result versus North Carolina on November 11 in just the second outing of the season. Charleston wouldn’t lose another game until falling 85-81 to Hofstra last weekend.
In the Drexel matchup on Thursday, the Cougars were up 35-27 at the start of the second half. Charleston fell behind on a 43-34 run and ended up losing a tough one 70-69. Dalton Bolon led the way on 19 points in the defeat.
Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens
Over on the Delaware side, they hit a 9-7 run over their first 16 games of the season. The Hens went just 3-4 over the next seven games, however. The losses in that span came to Hofstra, Northeastern, Drexel and Hampton.
On Thursday versus Monmouth, Delaware was up 29-25 going into the locker room. The Hens were outscored 45-33 in the second half and lost the game 70-62. Jameer Nelson was the leading team scorer on 20 points and four assists.
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably stick with Charleston. The Cougars are struggling a bit right now with the consecutive losses (by a combined five points), but this will be a good opportunity to bounce back. Charleston is still scoring well; they’ve hit 69 or more points in 12 straight games. As for Delaware, they had a bad second half versus Monmouth in their last outing and they’ve now gone 1-3 in the last four. Delaware lost 75-64 the last time these teams met on January 7, and I don’t see them getting any closer in this one.
After more than two decades of planning, fundraising, and construction efforts, the new International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina finally has an opening date: June 27, 2023—just after Juneteenth.The announcement comes after myriad delays to the project, which was first proposed by Charleston mayor Joe Riley back in 2000. Since then, the size and scope of the prospective museum have changed, so has its location, and securing the ...
After more than two decades of planning, fundraising, and construction efforts, the new International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina finally has an opening date: June 27, 2023—just after Juneteenth.
The announcement comes after myriad delays to the project, which was first proposed by Charleston mayor Joe Riley back in 2000. Since then, the size and scope of the prospective museum have changed, so has its location, and securing the $100 million ultimately required to realize the institution proved consistently challenging in the historic southern city still reckoning with its antebellum past.
It wasn’t until late 2019 that work on the museum broke ground. But the pandemic all but halted that less than six months later. The most recent setback came last December, when the museum postponed its planned January opening date because of faulty humidity and temperature controls in its building.
“I now have a really interesting relationship with the word ‘delay,’” said Dr. Tonya Matthews, president and CEO of the museum.
Matthews, who signed as IAAM’s inaugural head in 2021, has come to view the project’s obstacles as mere pit stops on a larger journey. “Every time I’ve looked at what we were discussing, say, five years ago,” she said, “what I realize is that, if the museum had opened at any other time, it really would have been a different space.”
“Ten years ago,” she added, “we weren’t actually going to be located at the site of Gadsden’s Wharf—and that of course has become a signature and grounding point for us.”
Indeed, it’s hard to imagine the museum anywhere else. Located on the Charleston waterfront, Gadsden’s Wharf was once the site of a prolific trading port where hundreds of thousands of slaves first stepped onto American land. It’s a location that shaped American history perhaps as much as Plymouth Rock, but until recently, there were no signs that acknowledged that past.
The IAAM will fix that. In fact, it already has: Designed by architect Henry Cobb, the museum’s building sits atop 18 one-story-tall pillars so as to not touch the ground—a sign of respect for the slaves that once walked the land below. Underneath the building is a tidal pool and an ethnobotanical “African Ancestors Memorial Garden” with indigenous plants from West Africa, the Caribbean, and South Carolina’s Lowcountry. Conceived by landscape designer and MacArthur “genius” grantee Walter Hood, the space is open to the public year-round.
Inside, the 100,000-square-foot building boasts nine exhibition spaces in which the museum will aim to tell the “full story of the African American journey, from ancient African civilization to modern day.” One room, for instance, will go all the way back to 300 B.C.E to detail the evolution of rice—South Carolina’s cash crop—while another is dedicated to the Gullah Geechee people of the south Atlantic coast.
Some 700 objects belong to the IAAM’s collection—from old slave shackles to ornate Mardi Gras costumes—and just about every one of them will be on view when the institution opens. That includes nearly 80 pieces of contemporary art, which will be displayed throughout the venue in what is being called a “floating” gallery. Among the artists represented in the collection are Nina Chanel Abney, McArthur Binion, Jacob Lawrence, Kara Walker, Carrie Mae Weems, and Hank Willis Thomas.
The mix of art and artifacts speaks to a core theme of the museum, which is, as Matthews put it, “the constant interweaving of trauma and joy.”
“[It’s] not trauma in the exhibit to the left and joy in the exhibit to the right, but much more like the African American experience itself, which is a constant weaving.”
Right now, there are roughly 30 people on staff at IAAM; come June, that number will double. Before the opening, almost all of them will undergo “cultural competency” and “cultural empathy” training—an unusual requirement for museum workers, to be sure.
When asked about the application of those training exercises, Matthews explained that, in the years and months leading up to the museum’s opening, she and her staff have gotten questions that deal with what she calls “high impact, negative emotions”: “’Are you going to yell at people? Are people going to feel mad and sad? Are they going to come out of there angry? Are they going to come out of there feeling guilty?’”
These, the museum head explained, are “questions of fear.”
“That’s where the empathy comes in,” she said. “We are not trying to inflict emotion. We want this to be an emotional place, we want this to be a place where folks can reflect and engage, but… what those emotions are—that’s not up to us. What the museum is supposed to do is to create space for whatever that is. That’s where empathy comes in.”
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Charleston Wine + Food (W+F) returns this weekend for another year of indulging in great local food and drinks, as well as discovering the massive talent the area’s industry has to offer. The festival took a break in 2021 but returned in a big way last year with a revamped and relocated Culinary Village that moved from downtown to Riverfront Park, included free family events and had an extensive list of special dinners and chefs.Last year also saw a change of leadership. Longtime W+F Director Gillian Zettler announced her depart...
Charleston Wine + Food (W+F) returns this weekend for another year of indulging in great local food and drinks, as well as discovering the massive talent the area’s industry has to offer. The festival took a break in 2021 but returned in a big way last year with a revamped and relocated Culinary Village that moved from downtown to Riverfront Park, included free family events and had an extensive list of special dinners and chefs.
Last year also saw a change of leadership. Longtime W+F Director Gillian Zettler announced her departure after the festival’s return, leading to communications director Alyssa Maute Smith acting as interim executive director.
Maute Smith officially took the helm as executive director in January, and under her leadership, W+F is emphasizing its focus on residents, the food and beverage (F&B) community and professionals in hospitality. This new direction is seen in the participants, as well as the programming and special community-focused events like the first-ever Street Fest with the City of Charleston and a new partnership with Charleston County School District, Maute Smith said.
Last year saw the relocation of the event’s Culinary Village from Marion Square to Riverfront Park with a larger set up and free access to a food truck rodeo just outside the entrance.
This year, the Culinary Village is getting another facelift by splitting into four “neighborhoods,” Maute Smith said. These neighborhoods in different sections of Riverfront Park highlight different cuisine styles, she added.
“Each one of those neighborhoods tells something about how we eat here,” she said.
One neighborhood, “Shucktown,” is focused on seafood, oysters, shrimp and other coastal cuisine. Next is the “Grillin’ and Chillin’ ” neighborhood, dedicated to Lowcountry barbecue, outdoor and live fire cooking. “Street Eats” is a call to the festival’s Saturday night internationally themed signature event, which will celebrate the variety of world cuisines that Charleston offers. Finally, local farmers and purveyors will get a chance to shine and show off their goods in the “Farm Fresh’’ neighborhood.
A food truck rodeo will no longer sit outside the entrance of the Culinary Village but instead is integrated into the Village in related neighborhoods.
Each neighborhood will also have a small demonstration stage for two chefs, restaurants or caterers to offer “bite-sized demos” of interactive, live cooking with guests. And moving across the Village and into each neighborhood throughout the weekend are three snack carts, provided by Lowe’s Foods. While the bite-sized demos, snack carts and some vendors offer samples of food, Maute Smith said the food trucks and other vendors will offer full meals to stuff your belly even more.
Culinary Village is open 1-5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. Tickets for the Village are $135. A shuttle from the Charleston Visitor Center & Bus Shed in downtown Charleston to the Village is available for an additional $28.
The City of Charleston is celebrating its culinary culture with an inaugural Street Fest in partnership with W+F. Three blocks of upper King Street from John to Mary streets with an extension on Ann Street will be blocked off from 6-9 p.m. on March 2.
The free, family friendly event will feature live music and for-purchase food and beverages from local vendors, food trucks and businesses along King Street. Part of Ann Street will be dedicated for a 21-and-over wine and beer garden for attendees.
“This is just an exciting thing because upper King Street doesn’t get shut down very often,” Maute Smith said.
All of the brick and mortar restaurants on that section of King Street have been invited to “spill out” onto the street, according to Maute Smith, along with retail shops and food trucks and pop-ups like Lola’s Lumpia and Bert & T’s Desserts.
In partnership with Holy City Brewing, W+F will have its own special brew, available at the biergarten on Ann Street during the Street Fest, and all weekend at Holy City Brewing and Culinary Village.
“Making our festival more accessible and inclusive is a major goal for Wine + Food,” Maute Smith said. “Partnering with the city and our sponsors makes that possible, and we are excited to present our first-ever free feast and fest.”
In addition to partnerships with Lowe’s Foods, the City of Charleston and Holy City Brewing, W+F is launching its Charleston County School District (CCSD) and Charleston Wine + Food Scholars Program with public high schools in Charleston County. Students from culinary programs at Wando, West Ashley, Burke, Military Magnet and North Charleston high schools will be on-site throughout the festival weekend. They’ll work during opening night, Culinary Village and in the prep kitchen for a paid internship.
“This is a way that we can continue to regenerate our local F&B industry and keep really good talent here in Charleston,” Maute Smith said. “And it’s a great way to really meet that educational pillar that’s in our mission and just one of the ways that we work with the community around. But I’m personally very excited about having the opportunity to influence young students and get them excited about culinary and hospitality and the opportunities they could have in those fields.”
It’s Charleston Wine + Food weekend which means thousands of people will visit the Lowcountry to check out what Charleston-area eateries have to offer. It’s a chance to check out new places, meet new people and learn what Lowcountry cuisine is all about.
Here are 18 restaurants participating in W+F signature dinner events. While signature dinners are likely to be sold out, you can still check out these eateries during the festival weekend. There’s a reason these chefs and restaurants have a signature dinner tied to their name, after all. —Michael Pham
babas on meeting804 Meeting St. (Downtown) (843) 284-6260Babsoncannon.com
Charleston Grill224 King St. (Downtown) (843) 577-4522Charlestonplace.com
Delaney Oyster House115 Calhoun St. (Downtown) (843) 594-0099Delaneyoysterhouse.com
Frannie & the Fox181 Church St. (Downtown) (866) 246-7407Hotelemeline.com
Herd Provisions106 Grove St. (Downtown) (843) 637-4145Herdprovisions.com
Husk76 Queen St. (Downtown) Huskrestaurant.com
Magnolias185 E Bay St. (Downtown) (843) 577-7771Magnoliascharleston.com
Martin’s Bar-B-Que Joint1622 Highland Ave.(James Island) (843) 790-0838Martinsbbqjoint.com
Oak Steakhouse17 Broad St. (Downtown) (843) 722-4220Oaksteakhouserestaurant.com
O-Ku463 King St. (Downtown) (843) 737-0112O-kushushi.com
Pink Bellies595 King St. (Downtown) (843) 640-3132Pinkbellies.com
Post House101 Pitt St. (Mount Pleasant)(843) 203-7678Theposthouseinn.com
Sullivan’s Fish Camp2019 Middle St.(Sullivan’s Island)(843) 883-2100Sullivansfishcamp.com
The Grocery4 Cannon St. (Downtown) (843) 302-8825Thegrocerycharleston.com
The Kingstide32 River Landing Drive(Daniel Island) (843) 216-3832Thekingstide.com
The Pass207-A St Philip St.(Downtown) (854) 444-3960Thepasschs.com
Three Sirens1067 E Montague Ave.(North Charleston) (843) 573-7204Threesirenschs.com
Welton’s Fine Foods682 King St. (Downtown) Weltonstinybakeshop.com
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Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano is addressing a monthslong fight to get more money to increase the starting pay for deputies.NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano is addressing a monthslong fight to get more money to increase the starting pay for deputies.A recent bump in pay of $10,000 for both detention and sheriff’s deputies has come from money left over from the unfilled positions within the office. Graziano said she is still using that money as council mulls giving her ...
Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano is addressing a monthslong fight to get more money to increase the starting pay for deputies.
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Charleston County Sheriff Kristin Graziano is addressing a monthslong fight to get more money to increase the starting pay for deputies.
A recent bump in pay of $10,000 for both detention and sheriff’s deputies has come from money left over from the unfilled positions within the office. Graziano said she is still using that money as council mulls giving her additional funding.
Last week, council passed an ordinance that would give the department $3.8 million from the county’s general fund. That measure needs to go through a few more readings before it is given to the sheriff.
Graziano said they requested that money to fill all of the vacancies the department has for the remaining fiscal year, which ends in late June. The sheriff says they currently have around 30 open positions for sheriff’s deputies and fewer than 100 spots in the detention center.
She adds they have seen an increase in applicants for positions since the pay increases.
“We have seen an increase with the limited amount of advertising that we’ve done, but we haven’t started that campaign yet, and once we start that campaign, we anticipate it being much higher,” she said.
At the end of last year, the starting salary for the detention center and a sheriff’s deputy was around $36,000 and $40,000, respectively.
“There’s a history here of the status quo, following the status quo, getting a budget allocated at one amount this year, and it’s going to be the same amount next year and not accounting for any increase or very little increase,” Graziano said.
Now, the pay has jumped up to around $46,000 for the detention center and around $49,000 for sheriff’s deputies.
This took effect around the beginning of the year, and it is the first time since 2017 pay rates have gone up in the department.
“Any agency that waits five to seven years to adjust salaries beyond the market is going to struggle,” Graziano said. “As a county, they should probably start looking at this annually and not wait for four to five to six to seven years to make a market adjustment because then you’re setting yourself up for these huge increases in your budget you can’t prepare for.”
Graziano said she will use the money from the unfilled positions until she gets the money from the county.
However, she also says the salary has been one of the reasons the department has been struggling with keeping people on the books.
“We were losing them because of the money, and when you have a $10,000 difference in starting pay for deputies doing the exact same work across the street, then it’s a no brainer,” Graziano said, “but people come back to us often because they like the culture and they want to be in this agency.”
She also said council’s vote also carries a commitment to keep the new pay rates going for the next fiscal year.
Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.
Two North Charleston-based staffing firms have introduced virtual reality simulator assessment to test a job applicant’s skills.NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Two North Charleston-based staffing firms have introduced virtual reality simulator assessment to test a job applicant’s skills.Representatives from ProLogistix and Hire Dynamics say their virtual reality forklift simulator training is more efficient and safer. They also say the two staffing firms will now be including the simulator assessment for forklift op...
Two North Charleston-based staffing firms have introduced virtual reality simulator assessment to test a job applicant’s skills.
NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Two North Charleston-based staffing firms have introduced virtual reality simulator assessment to test a job applicant’s skills.
Representatives from ProLogistix and Hire Dynamics say their virtual reality forklift simulator training is more efficient and safer. They also say the two staffing firms will now be including the simulator assessment for forklift operator applicants.
Employee Bridge spokesman Jon Nikolas said Nicklas said a major reason the VR forklift simulator was added to the company’s interview process was to determine whether the interviewee’s true skill set if they come from this background of work to avoid any accidents.
“We’re hoping to provide safe forklift operators for our clients here in the Tri-County area,” Nicklas said. “That’s the main thing is we just want to keep everybody safe. The second aspect is obviously increasing productivity so if you know you’ve got a skilled forklift operator then you can hold them to a high production standard. And speed and efficiency in a warehouse is what we’re looking for.”
The simulator uses a headset and a console and those assisting with the simulation testing are able to see on displays what the operator is seeing and doing while taking these assessments. Those with three to four months of experience will be given an assessment to determine their skill level in a test that takes about 10 minutes to complete, he said. It evaluates input on controls, safety, awareness of surroundings, and speed of movement.
Those who pass the VR simulator will then take an exam through a proctored video for an OSHA forklift exam.
He said those who do not pass the VR forklift assessment after two tries are able to apply for other performance-to-hire positions within the staffing firm.
Nikolas said this is a significant investment on behalf of EmployBridge and says from a safety standpoint it lets them leverage technology and helps the recruiting process run smoother by sorting those who are qualified.
The two staffing firms will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the firms’ new merged office, located at 3290 Ashley Phosphate Rd., Unit A.
ProLogistix and Hire Dynamics put over 600 people to work each week in the Charleston area, a news release states.
Copyright 2023 WCSC. All rights reserved.
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