South Carolina Ports Authority, MUSC Launch Health and Wellness Services Partnership

MUSC Contact: Heather Woolwine                     
843-792-7669
woolwinh@musc.edu              

SCPA Contact: Erin Dhand
843-577-8121
EDhand@scspa.com

September 25, 2018

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA) have signed an agreement for MUSC Business Health to deliver health care and wellness services at its current location and eventually, its new headquarters located in Mt. Pleasant on the Wando river. MUSC Health will staff and operate a health clinic to serve approximately 560 SCPA workers in the Charleston region.

“The launch of our partnership with MUSC, both in terms of their physical presence in our new headquarters as well as new health programs and services, is exciting for the Port,” said Jim Newsome, SCPA president and CEO. “We have an important responsibility to deliver high-quality operations to our stakeholders and customers across the state and region, and our ability to achieve our goals is rooted in the wellness of our workforce. We look forward to the benefits of new health care options that are modern, high quality and convenient across the Port’s various work schedules and locations.” 

“This is what building healthy communities is all about,” said David J. Cole, M.D., MUSC president. “When we work with our state partners who share our vision for health, it enables us all to innovate and better meet the needs of our workers, friends, family and neighbors. It’s these kinds of partnerships that help create a better equipped and healthier workforce, which means more prosperity and economic growth for our state.” 

MUSC Business Health providers will collaborate with the SCPA team to deliver a full range of health services that include onsite primary and occupational health services, as well as virtual urgent care services and specialty care services via telehealth. Through the new partnership, SCPA employees already have access to employee assistance, private counseling sessions and group workshops via the MUSC Employee Assistance Program, and wellness education classes on a wide variety of health-related issues.  

“MUSC Business Health partners with employers to improve the health of their team members through a variety of channels, including on-site clinics, convenient ambulatory facilities, e-visits, telehealth, emergency care, and hospitalization, if necessary,” said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., CEO for MUSC Health and University Vice President for Health Affairs. “It’s important that we continue to deliver our services, whenever we can, within the places where people work, live, play and learn. We are pleased that the Ports Authority sees us as a trusted, forward-thinking partner, working with them to prevent situations like repetitive workplace injuries and to promote better overall health for their team.”

With an average workforce age of 41 with nine years of service, SCPA is building a comprehensive wellness program designed to serve employees throughout their maritime career. The opening of the new headquarters in December marks the beginning of a variety of new wellness options for employees in addition to the MUSC clinic, including healthy menus in an on-site cafeteria, outdoor exercise trails, a fitness facility and other programs throughout the year to support a healthy and safe work environment. 

About MUSC Health

MUSC Health is the clinical enterprise of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), comprised of a 700-bed medical center, the MUSC College of Medicine and the physician’s practice plan. It serves patients across South Carolina and beyond through four hospital facilities in Charleston and more than 100 outreach sites. Among these are the Hollings Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated center in the state, and a nationally recognized Children’s Hospital. The Medical University was founded in 1824 and has become a premiere academic health sciences center at the forefront of the latest advances in medicine, with world-class physicians, scientists and groundbreaking research and technology that is often the first of its kind in the world. Visit muschealth.org for more information.

About the SCPA

South Carolina Ports Authority (SCPA), established by the state’s General Assembly in 1942, owns and operates public seaport facilities in Charleston, Dillon, Georgetown and Greer while receiving no direct taxpayer subsidy. Port operations are a major economic engine for the state, facilitating 187,200 statewide jobs and nearly $53 billion annual economic activity. As home to the Southeast’s deepest port, SCPA is the industry leader in delivering speed-to-market, seamless processes and flexibility to ensure reliable operations, big ship handling, efficient market reach and environmental responsibility. For more information on SCPA, including job opportunities, please visit scspa.com.