MUSC Health empowers over 200 attendees with screenings and education at community health fair

ORANGEBURG, S.C. (Apr. 15, 2024) - The Spring into Wellness community health fair, held on Saturday, April 13th, saw an overwhelming turnout of 219 attendees from Orangeburg, Calhoun and Bamberg Counties. The event, a collaboration between MUSC Health, Claflin University and numerous community partners, aimed to provide vital health resources and screenings to community members, promoting wellness and access to health care.

Attendees were offered many opportunities to engage in fitness activities, including Zumba sessions, while gaining valuable information from various community partners about resources available throughout the Tri-County area. Health screenings, including blood pressure checks, A1C and glucose testing and ultrasound screenings for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, were a focal point of the event.

“It’s a great day for Orangeburg County and MUSC Health! Through MUSC Health’s partnership with Siemens Healthineers, eighty-six liver screenings were provided to residents of Orangeburg and surrounding counties. The “Spring into Wellness” event allowed Orangeburg to be the first in South Carolina and second in the country to receive liver screenings at a community event, which is the result of a great partnership. We look forward to more opportunities to support and offer services such as these to our community through many of MUSC Health’s strategic partners,” said Kathy Booker, MUSC Health Orangeburg’s external affairs and strategic engagement manager. 

MUSC Health exhibits showcased local primary care practices and specialty services, including women’s health, orthopedic urgent care and podiatry, and informative sessions on topics such as skin cancer awareness. Dr. Dioval Remonde and radiation therapist Harriet French from Mabry Cancer Center provided valuable patient education on skin cancer prevention and offered free sunscreen to attendees.

LaShandra Morgan, one of the event coordinators and outreach director for Healthy Me, Healthy SC, expressed her satisfaction with the event's outcomes, stating, “Community members were able to receive free health screenings and groceries, empowering them to 'know their numbers' and connect with health care providers. Our goals of increasing access to health care for uninsured and underinsured individuals and improving access to healthy food were successfully achieved.”. 

The Spring into Wellness community health fair exemplified the power of collaboration and community engagement, reaffirming the importance of proactive health care initiatives in fostering a healthier and happier community.

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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.