MUSC Foundation receives grant to start new diabetes prevention program for women

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Sept. 27, 2022) - The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) Foundation has received a grant from the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation to launch a diabetes prevention program for women. The grant will fund a partnership between the MUSC Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases and the Fetter Health Care Network, a federally qualified health center(FQHC)that provides comprehensive health services for insured, uninsured and underserved residents in Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton and Dorchester counties.

The new program is open to women who receive care at Fetter and are between 18 and 35, with overweight/obesity or prediabetes and/or have a family history of diabetes. Women at risk of developing diabetes will receive group-based virtual and tailored diabetes prevention program intervention and/or one-on-one care via telehealth with MUSC specialists in nutrition, weight management and obesity medicine.

Patients may receive MUSC telehealth services at Charleston-area Fetter locations or from the comfort of their home. Through Fetter, the program is aligned with Lowcountry Street Grocery (LSG), which will give patients access to fresh food through the Grocery Rx program.

“This prevention program will increase access to specialized care for women at high-risk of developing diabetes,” said Marc-Andre Cornier, M.D., director of the Division of Endocrinology. “Ultimately, this program has the potential to impact the quality of health across many generations, especially in communities with little to no access to fresh food or health care. We are grateful to the Fetter Health Care Network for their partnership, and to the BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina Foundation for making it possible.”

Initially, the program will be available at Charleston-area Fetter locations. Eventually, the goal is to expand the program to other FQHCs throughout South Carolina. The BlueCross® BlueShield® of South Carolina Foundation is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

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About Fetter Health Care Network

Fetter Health Care Network is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) chartered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the State of South Carolina in 1975. Fetter provides comprehensive services for insured, uninsured and underserved residents in Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton and Dorchester Counties. Today, Fetter Health Care Network includes 20 different sites, a dental practice, medical labs and a pharmacy.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,000 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 850 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $327.6 million in research funds in fiscal year 2021, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding, with more than $220 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the health care system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality and safest patient care while educating and training generations of outstanding health care providers and leaders to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Patient care is provided at 14 hospitals with approximately 2,500 beds and five additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and connectivity to patients’ homes, and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2022, for the eighth 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.

MUSC and its affiliates have collective annual budgets of $5.1 billion. The nearly 25,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.