H 5557

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026
Bill 5557
Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter
(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)
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.
----XX---
This web page was last updated on April 21, 2026 at 12:58 PM