Retired military doctor is S.C. health agency's new director

COLUMBIA (AP) — The South Carolina Senate hired a military doctor Thursday to be the new director of the state's beleaguered health and environmental agency.
Dr. Edward Simmer's nomination to run the Department of Health and Environmental Control was approved 40-1 in the Senate.
The director job had been vacant for more than seven months as the COVID-19 pandemic spread. The last search for a director in 2017 and 2018 took 17 months.
During his nomination hearing earlier this week, Simmer promised to improve the coronavirus vaccine distribution and use the lessons learned from the pandemic to improve rural health, fight hunger and do a better job of community outreach to keep people healthy.
As a medical doctor, Simmer said he doesn't have a lot of experience with environmental regulation. But he said he would rely on experts within the agency and there are plenty of places where environmental issues intersect with health, like water safety.
Simmer retired from three decades of Navy service at the end of last year. He previously oversaw civilian health care insurance for the Defense Health Agency in Virginia and ran the Naval hospital in Beaufort. He also holds a master's degree in public health.