May 30, 2022

Nursing alumnus, medical grad student honored for work on suicide prevention

Governor awards Order of the Silver Crescent to Bradley Quarles

During his time as a student, nursing alumnus Bradley Quarles looked for ways to prevent suicide and promote mental health on campus.

The back of Carolina Cards include the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline phone number, thanks to his work. This was the catalyst for the state’s Student Identification Card Suicide Prevention Act, which requires public schools in South Carolina serving grades 7-12 and public and private colleges and universities to provide the Lifeline phone number and an additional crisis resource of their choosing on school-issued student identification cards.

Governor Henry McMaster recently awarded Quarles the Order of the Silver Crescent, the state’s most prestigious service award, for his efforts.

“What today means to me, it shows the power of the individual to make an impact. It really highlights the core of who we are, and our core values as health care professionals, as nurses and as a future CRNA. To represent the University of South Carolina, the College of Nursing and the anesthesia program at the School of Medicine Columbia is really important to me. I’m so thankful to Governor McMaster for extending this welcome to us,” Quarles said.

Read the full story, written by Mollie Roe and Emily Miles, on the university website.