Who We Are
About HopeHealth
HopeHealth provides integrated health services for more than 50,000 patients in areas surrounding Aiken, Clarendon, Florence, Orangeburg, and Williamsburg counties. It was founded in 1991 as a grassroots HIV/AIDS support organization, and was designated as a Federally Qualified Health Center in 2007 to expand its services to include primary and pediatric care. HopeHealth now has over 100 providers covering primary care, dental care, chiropractic care, rheumatology, endocrinology, behavioral health and psychiatry, pain management, substance use treatment, and women’s health services. 
HopeHealth Leadership

From our senior leaders, to board members, to leadership advisory council members, the HopeHealth leadership team collaborates to develop organizational goals that positively impact our communities.

Senior Leadership

The HopeHealth senior leadership strives to build a comprehensive primary care system that has our patients at the core and fosters a positive, inviting work environment. Through collaborative efforts in local communities and at the state and national levels, the team stays informed of community and individuals’ needs and proactively seeks to address them with compassion, integrity, accountability, innovation, and excellence.

Chief Financial Officer



Mark Vinson, CPA
Chief Administrative Officer

Deena Hilton, MBA

Chief Medical Officer



Edward Behling, MD

Chief Executive Officer


Carl M. Humprhies, MSW
Chief of Staff




Sallie Bachman, LMSW
Chief Operating Officer



Ken Burgess, BA
Chief Information Officer





Rufus Jackson
Chief of Pharmacy




Christi Epps

The HopeHealth senior leadership strives to build a comprehensive primary care system that has our patients at the core and fosters a positive, inviting work environment. Through collaborative efforts in local communities and at the state and national levels, the team stays informed of community and individuals’ needs and proactively seeks to address them with compassion, integrity, accountability, innovation, and excellence.

Strength in Numbers
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Hope for the Pee Dee is awarded federal funding (Ryan White Part B and HOPWA) to provide case management services in the Pee Dee (Florence, Darlington, Marion, Marlboro, Dillon, and Chesterfield counties). Renee Lambert and Deena Hilton are hired as the first employees.

1997: First Grants Awarded & Employees Hired

CareTeam hires Renee Lambert as the first case manager dedicated to patients in the Pee Dee.

1995: First HIV Case Manager

The organization partners with CareTeam from Myrtle Beach to staff a weekly clinic to provide case management services in the Pee Dee.

1994: Hope for the Pee Dee Support Group is Incorporated 

The idea for HopeHealth is born in the living room of a woman whose two adult children had tested positive for HIV. What began as a support group for those affected by HIV in Florence, South Carolina, quickly grew in response to community need.

1991: Hope For the Pee Dee Begins
2002: Primary Care Services Begin

Hope For the Pee Dee is one of only three agencies in the state to be awarded Ryan White Part C funding to provide primary care and early intervention services for people living with HIV/AIDS.

Hope for the Pee Dee is renamed HopeHealth, Inc. Also in 2004, the organization is awarded a CDC HIV Prevention, increasing medical staff and access to care.

2004: Hope is Given a New Name

HopeHealth holds ribbon cutting for the new location on 2nd Loop, home of HopeHealth Pediatrics in Florence and The CARE House of the Pee Dee.

2020: HopeHealth Pediatrics in Florence moves

HopeHealth breaks ground on a new medical facility in the West Florence area by Pine Needles Road.

2020: HopeHealth holds Pine Needles Groundbreaking

Rheumatologist Dr. Supen Patel and endocrinologist Dr. John Culleton join HopeHealth.

2019: Rheumatology and endocrinology services are added

Located in the former Black River Healthcare building, HopeHealth Greeleyville opened its doors to patients on April 18 and provides primary care services to children and adult patients in the Williamsburg area.

2016: HopeHealth Greeleyville Opens 
2016: New Services Added 

Substance abuse, pain management, behavioral health, women’s health, radiology, and dental health added.

2014: HopeHealth Medical Plaza Groundbreaking

HopeHealth breaks ground on a new facility in Florence (360 North Irby Street). The former landfill site is donated by the City of Florence.

An empty warehouse is transformed into a renovated medical facility, becoming HopeHealth Palmetto.

2008: HopeHealth Palmetto Site Opens

HopeHealth is awarded Ryan White Part B and HOPWA federal funds to provide case management and support services in Aiken, Barnwell, and Allendale counties.

2005: HopeHealth Aiken is Added
2000: A New Vision of Hope

Carl Humphries is hired as executive director of Hope for the Pee Dee.

HopeHealth Through the Years

From our senior leaders, to board members, to leadership advisory council members, the HopeHealth leadership team collaborates to develop organizational goals that positively impact our communities.

HopeHealth is awarded Ryan White Part B and HOPWA federal funds to provide case management and support services in Orangeburg, Bamberg, and Calhoun counties

2006: HopeHealth Orangeburg is Added

HopeHealth is awarded a HRSA Section 330 grant and becomes a community health center. Primary care services are available in Florence county to all individuals, regardless of ability to pay.

2007: Community Health Center Status

Tracks café, pharmacy, lab services, pediatrics & adolescent care center

2016: HopeHealth Medical Plaza Opens 
2013: Service Area Expansion

HopeHealth is awarded a HRSA Section 330 grant to acquire Black River Healthcare and expand services into Lower Florence, Williamsburg, and Clarendon Counties. New sites include Timmonsville, Lake City, Manning, and Kingstree.

HopeHealth: 20 Years of Hope

From our senior leaders, to board members, to leadership advisory council members, the HopeHealth leadership team collaborates to develop organizational goals that positively impact our communities.

City Facts

Population: 39,958

  • Males: 17,565   (45.6%)
  • Females: 20,966   (54.4%)

Median resident age: 40.5 years 

South Carolina median age: 39.9 years

Estimated median household income in 2019: $52,708 (it was $35,388 in 2000)

  • Florence: $52,708
  • SC: $56,227 

Estimated per capita income in 2019: $31,189 (it was $20,336 in 2000)

Mean prices in 2019: all housing units: $189,561; detached houses: $184,090; townhouses or other attached units: $142,863; in 3-to-4-unit structures: $354,774; in 5-or-more-unit structures: $132,126; mobile homes: $336,213 Median gross rent in 2019: $798. March 2019 cost of living index in Florence: 81.7 (low, U.S. average is 100)

About Florence, South Carolina

Florence is a bustling midsized town of 39,958  and growing medical community in the southeast. It is conveniently located near popular South Carolina destinations, and is close to both the beach and the mountains, allowing for daytrips or a weekend to explore both.