MUSC receives nearly $4.3 million to implement rural health initiatives

CHARLESTON, S.C. (Dec. 12, 2023) - The Duke Endowment has awarded the Medical University of South Carolina seven grants totaling just over $4.28 million to improve access to high-quality health care in rural and underserved parts of South Carolina.  

“Serving the underserved is central to the Medical University’s mission, and The Duke Endowment has consistently demonstrated that it is philosophically aligned with that vision,” said David J. Cole, M.D., FACS, MUSC president. “These grants will bring life-changing, lifesaving services to people throughout the state who might otherwise go without.” 

The grants will launch seven initiatives, each with long-term sustainability plans that advance MUSC’s vision to elevate and deliver the most advanced and innovative care to citizens in all parts of South Carolina. 

“We value our longstanding relationship with MUSC and are proud to support these projects, which will improve health for South Carolinians,” said Lin Hollowell, director of The Duke Endowment’s Health Care program area. “MUSC and The Duke Endowment share a commitment to improve access to innovative care and resources that will promote health equity throughout the state.”

‌These grants will enable MUSC to: 

• ‌Launch a Healthy People, Healthy Carolinas coalition to improve population health in Chester County. ($100,000)

The grant will provide staff support and operating funds for a partnership between MUSC and the Chester County Community Coalition (CCCC), a group of more than 15 agencies and representatives from local advocacy groups, youth programs and health-focused nonprofits. Until now, the coalition has operated with limited funding and no paid staff. The Duke Endowment grant will support a full-time staff member as well as technical assistance and coaching to bring health-supporting resources and programs into the area. 

• ‌Develop systems to support and retain a diverse health care workforce. ($875,000)

People identifying as Black, Indigenous and people of color make up 36% of South Carolina’s overall population, yet they are represented in less than 25% of the state’s licensed health care providers. This disparity represents a significant barrier to care, especially in the state’s rural communities. This grant will lower this barrier through a comprehensive strategy aimed at retaining, mentoring and training the providers who serve these patient populations. 

• ‌Develop resources and services to measure, address and prevent health care worker burnout in Florence, South Carolina. ($445,000)

Caregiver fatigue and burnout are on the rise, accelerated dramatically by the COVID-19 pandemic. MUSC and the SC Hospital Association have partnered to evaluate measures that promote workforce strength and resilience at MUSC in Charleston. However, there remains a tremendous need to pilot these strategies in rural hospitals, which have unique stressors because of their smaller size, staffing and budgets. The Duke Endowment award will enable MUSC to pilot and refine these strategies at its hospital in Florence.

• Expand the Boeing Center for Children’s Wellness program to include mental health prevention and treatment services beyond Charleston and Colleton counties. ($1,335,000)

In 2011, MUSC, in partnership with the Boeing Company, launched a highly effective school-based program to promote improving young people’s health through better eating, fitness and lifestyle habits. Based on its success and prompted by growing concerns about youth depression and other mental health problems, MUSC, in 2021, expanded the program’s focus to include youth mental health, on a limited geographic basis. The Duke Endowment grant will allow these services to be offered in two additional school districts: Berkeley County and Dorchester 2. It also will help to determine the feasibility of remote therapeutic monitoring for high-risk students in a school setting. 

• Improve access to dental care for children in the Carolinas. ($735,000)

Most counties in South Carolina and North Carolina are recognized as dental health professional shortage areas (HPSA). The Duke Endowment grant will help to assess, standardize and strengthen school-based oral health programs that emphasize preventive-care measures such as screening, sealant and cleaning services, with the goal of increasing access to care and reducing the incidence of dental disease.

• Implement a virtual program to help children in rural South Carolina to manage asthma more effectively. ($598,000)

Poorly controlled asthma is the second leading cause of emergency department and hospital visits for children in South Carolina and is associated with decreased quality of life, missed school and mortality. Notably, the asthma burden is higher in rural regions, due to poor access to specialized care. This grant will help to close that gap in Clarendon, Florence and Williamsburg counties by increasing access to specialized asthma education and care in those areas through MUSC’s telehealth network. 

• ‌Create a statewide telehealth network for rural primary care clinics. ($200,000)

South Carolina, like much of the nation, is experiencing a shortage of primary care providers, especially in its rural communities. MUSC has been able to fill some of these gaps through its nationally recognized Center for Telehealth, which has 15 years of experience, offering more than 100 unique telehealth services to nearly 350 sites across the state, the majority of which are in partially or fully underserved areas. Currently, care is supported through five service lines, including behavioral health, weight management, diabetes monitoring and two types of remote consultation for rural physicians. These service lines currently operate independently, with different teams, points of contacts, websites and patient portals. This grant will support the integration of these services through a Statewide Primary Care Integrated Virtual Service Network, which is expected to expand access, simplify navigation and improve coordination of care. 

####

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 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $300 million in research funds in fiscal year 2023, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding. 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 16 hospitals (includes owned or governing interest), with approximately 2,700 beds and four additional hospital locations in development, more than 350 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in all regions of South Carolina. In 2023, for the ninth consecutive year, U.S. News & World Report named MUSC Health University Medical Center in Charleston the No. 1 hospital in South Carolina. To learn more about clinical patient services, visit muschealth.org.

MUSC has a total enterprise annual operating budget of $5.9 billion. The nearly 26,000 MUSC family members include world-class faculty, physicians, specialty providers, scientists, students, affiliates and care team members who deliver groundbreaking education, research, and patient care.