A concurrent RESOLUTION

 

TO CONGRATULATE ROBERT L. BANK, MD, ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE South Carolina DEPARTMENT OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH, UPON THE OCCASION OF HIS RETIREMENT, TO COMMEND HIM FOR HIS YEARS OF DEDICATED SERVICE, AND TO WISH HIM HAPPINESS AND FULFILLMENT IN THE YEARS AHEAD.

 

Whereas, the South Carolina General Assembly has learned that Dr. Robert Bank will begin a well-deserved retirement after decades as a psychiatrist, the last of which has been as the distinguished and highly regarded acting director of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health (SCDMH); and

 

Whereas, Dr. Bank received his Doctor of Medicine degree from Loyola-Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, in 1974 and completed his internship and psychiatric residency in 1977 and his clinical research fellowship in psychiatry in 1980 at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D. C. He served nine years of active duty in the Army Medical Corps, as chief of outpatient services at Dwight D. Eisenhower Army Medical Center while stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and chief of community mental health activity at Fort Knox, Kentucky; and

 

Whereas, he began his career at SCDMH as chief of outpatient services and psychiatric training director at William S. Hall Psychiatric Institute in 1982. In subsequent years, he served as medical director for programs at Palmetto Richland Hospital, Three Rivers Behavioral Health, and United Behavioral Health while maintaining a general psychiatry private practice for twenty-two years; and

 

Whereas, Dr. Bank has served as a clinical professor for the University of South Carolina School of Medicine Department of Neuropsychiatry since 1984 and as president of the South Carolina Psychiatric Association, and he is a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He is board certified in adult psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology; and

 

Whereas, he served as executive director of the Columbia Area Mental Health Center from 2006 to 2018 and as deputy director of medical affairs of SCDMH from 2008 to 2022. Dr. Bank was appointed acting director of the SCDMH by the South Carolina Mental Health Commission in September of 2022. He has been in the forefront of the development and deployment of telehealth services in South Carolina, particularly in telepsychiatry; and

 

Whereas, Dr. Bank has authored and coauthored numerous publications, most recently on the treatment of schizophrenia. He has been recognized by multiple organizations for his work, receiving the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Chapter of NAMI, the Outstanding Partner Award from the University of South Carolina Medical School Department of Neuropsychiatry, the South Carolina Psychiatrist of the Year from NAMI-South Carolina, and the Telehealth Pioneer award from Palmetto Care Connections, among others; and

 

Whereas, outside of his professional life, Dr. Bank is a great car enthusiast, owning multiple award-winning classic and luxury cars. In his retirement, he plans to spend time with his beloved wife of twenty-two years, Patricia G. Bank, and their four fine children: Sarah, Maggie, Bobby, and Marisa. His children have blessed him with the affection of four loving grandchildren: Hunter, Hayden, Preston, and Braden, and great-grandchild, Georgia; and

 

Whereas, grateful for his many years of distinguished service to the South Carolina Department of Mental Health, the South Carolina General Assembly takes great pleasure in extending best wishes to Dr. Robert Bank as he transitions to a richly deserved retirement and the leisurely pace of the days ahead, and the members wish him many years of enjoyment in his well-earned retirement. Now, therefore,

 

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives, the Senate concurring:

 

That the members of the South Carolina General Assembly, by this resolution, congratulate Robert L. Bank, MD, acting director of the South Carolina Department of Behavioral Health Office of Mental Health, upon the occasion of his retirement, commend him for his years of dedicated service, and wish him happiness and fulfillment in the years ahead.

 

Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Dr. Robert Bank, MD.

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