Toomey named DHEC director

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Rick Toomey has been named director of the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control,  which has been without a permanent director for more than a year.

Toomey, who must be confirmed by the state Senate, was appointed to the DHEC board by Gov. Henry McMaster in February and confirmed in March.

“The Department of Health and Environmental Control board conducted a professional, thorough and deliberate search for their next director that produced the best candidate for the job,” McMaster said in a news release. “Rick Toomey’s extensive experience in the health care industry, combined with his proven success leading large organizations, make him uniquely qualified to serve as the director of DHEC. I am confident the Senate will confirm his nomination quickly.” 

Toomey served as CEO of Beaufort Memorial Hospital from 2007 until 2016. He has also chaired both the North and South Carolina Hospital Association boards. The Greenville native graduated from Duke University, where he earned undergraduate and master’s degrees; he earned a doctorate in health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina.  

Catherine Heigel stepped down as DHEC director in July 2017 after replacing Catherine Templeton in 2015.