An estimated 1,950 people took steps toward improved health during three community events organized by BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina to mark the seventh annual National Walk@Lunch Day.

The participants walked an estimated combined total of 2,550 miles — roughly the distance from Myrtle Beach, S.C., to Los Angeles, Calif. — during the lunchtime walks at the Statehouse in Columbia, Marion Square in Charleston and Falls Park in Greenville. Approximately 750 people took part in the Columbia walk, along with 350 in Charleston and more than 800 in Greenville.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - Tens of thousands of South Carolinians addicted to drugs or alcohol will become eligible for health insurance under the federal health care overhaul.
    
Nationwide, treatment agencies say the new demand could swamp the existing system that's already full to overflowing in many places.
    

The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Best Chance Network has been chosen to receive over $76,000 in grant funding from the Lowcountry Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure to provide mammograms to women in poverty, the agency announced Tuesday.