Community support boosts supplies, spirits for MUSC Health care teams and patients during pandemic

CHARLESTON, S.C. (June 30, 2020) – Since the pandemic began in March, more than 300 people, businesses and organizations have donated meals, equipment, supplies and personal protective equipment for MUSC Health care team members and patients. As the number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations continues to climb across South Carolina, these donations have helped MUSC respond and prepare for taking care of COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the state. 

“The outpouring of support for our care team members and patients during this pandemic has been extraordinary, especially considering how many families and businesses are struggling themselves,” said Patrick J. Cawley, M.D., MUSC Health CEO and vice president for Health Affairs, University. “These gifts have boosted our capacity of in-demand health supplies for MUSC Health care teams who put their own health at risk to care for our patients. The community as well as many of our partners have come together to support our teams physically and mentally with supplies, meals and motivating messages. We can’t thank them enough and appreciate the continued support as we weather this pandemic.”    

In-kind donations at a glance: March 20 to June 26, 2020

Supplies

  • 25,000+ face shields. 
  • 58,410 masks. 
  • Air freight and delivery of 150,000 goggles and protective face shields.
  • Three loaner cars for team members without transportation.
  • 54 iPads for patients who have been isolated from family and friends because of COVID-19 visitor restrictions. 

Food

“The community awareness of frontline care workers has been amazing,” said Matina Kordonis, a nurse who works in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) with COVID-19 patients. “The amount of support from the community to make sure we have what we need has been overwhelming and puts smiles on everyone’s faces. The support of the community has been a positive light through this pandemic.”

MUSC Health appreciates and welcomes donations. For a current list of supply requests, please visit MUSC Health’s donations page. Monetary donations can be made online at giving.musc.edu or by phone at 843-792-2678. 

Interviews available

Please contact Melissa Varner, public information director for the Department of Development and Alumni Affairs, at varnerm@musc.edu to set up an interview with the following MUSC Health personnel:

  • Tom Crawford, Ph.D., MUSC Health chief operations officer 
  • Jennifer Simon, analyst, Capital Asset Planning and Tracking Support Services/Asset Management. Simon has tracked goods and services donated to MUSC Health throughout the pandemic.

All gifts to MUSC Health during the pandemic are accounted for through the MUSC Foundation.

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About the MUSC Foundation

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Foundation was chartered in 1966 as a charitable, educational foundation to support education, research, patient care and other programs at the Medical University. The foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization, contributions to which are tax-deductible. The foundation is governed by a 31-member board of directors. The MUSC president is an ex-officio non-voting member of the board. Three members of the MUSC Board of Trustees also serve on the board. The remaining 27 at-large directors are not directly affiliated with the university. Five are alumni of MUSC. The foundation’s funds are invested and managed by professional money managers selected by the foundation’s Investment Committee. This committee uses a professional investment advisor to assist in evaluating its managers.

Since its beginning, the MUSC Foundation has encouraged such worthwhile academic enterprises as endowed professorships, scholarships, the acquisition and development of campus facilities to serve student, teaching, research or clinical needs and awards in honor of academic excellence. In addition, it has encouraged achievements in biomedical research.

About MUSC Health

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality patient care available, while training generations of competent, compassionate health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Comprising some 1,600 beds, more than 100 outreach sites, the MUSC College of Medicine, the physicians’ practice plan, and nearly 275 telehealth locations, MUSC Health owns and operates eight hospitals situated in Charleston, Chester, Florence, Lancaster and Marion counties. In 2019, for the fifth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

Founded in 1824, MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $3 billion. The more than 17,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology and patient care. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.