Letter from the Office of President

Dear MUSC Community,

As the 122nd regular session of the South Carolina General Assembly concludes, we want to share the MUSC higher education and health care highlights for the upcoming fiscal year. The state continues to support our institution’s commitment to excellence in health care education, research and delivery. Governmental Affairs Director Mark Sweatman, along with Katherine Haltiwanger and Quenton Tompkins, have been tirelessly promoting MUSC and its mission.

Earlier this month, the Fiscal Year 2017-18 General Appropriations Act was ratified and its directives will go into effect July 1. The legislation includes significant financial support for MUSC, outlined as follows:

-$19 million to support MUSC’s ongoing statewide partnership in the South Carolina Telehealth Alliance.

-$3 million in recurring funds for an adult burn unit.

-$1.5 million from the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) for a joint collaboration among MUSC, SCDHHS and the South Carolina Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services: together we plan to establish a pilot program to expand medication-assisted treatment for prescription opioid dependency and addiction.

-$1 million to further develop statewide teaching partnerships.

-$1 million will be contracted to MUSC from SCDHHS to continue working on Statewide Health Innovation.

-$750,000 in recurring funds for Statewide Health Innovation, which will be targeted specifically for mental and behavioral health, children’s health, cancer, and chronic diseases. With these four areas of health care in mind, we will focus on the most vulnerable communities and partner with other universities, hospitals, and clinics to develop ways to deliver new methods, products, technologies, and medications; and

-99 new FTEs (full-time equivalent positions) were secured for the university, which will translate into essential personnel for our academic units.

These very strong legislative results demonstrate that there is clear understanding of and support for our mission. State legislators continue to believe in the work you do each day. Thank you for your dedication to education, research and patient care. MUSC would not be where we are today without you. I look forward to working with you in the coming fiscal year as we continue to promote our vision, “Leading Health Innovation for the Lives We Touch.”
 
Yours in service,
 
David J. Cole, M.D., FACS
President