MUSC board recognizes critical care nurse, notes fundraising momentum, moves forward on sale of Fort Johnson property

The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) Board of Trustees held their regularly scheduled committee sessions and board meeting on Feb. 9, 10 and 11, respectively. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many attended the meeting via video conference. The meetings were held in the MUSC board room with a limited number of attendees physically present in keeping with COVID-19 protocols. Several other participants joined the meetings via video conference.

David J. Cole, M.D., FACS, MUSC President, provided board members with a report detailing numerous “wins” across the education, research and clinical missions of the institution, and presented on some specific highlights, including the topping out ceremony for the new College of Pharmacy building, recognition of the 2021 President’s Values in Action and Impact award winners, and details related to the MUSC Health COVID-19 photography project by intensive care nurse, Alan Hawes, R.N. Hawes was invited to attend the meeting in person so he could be formally recognized by MUSC leadership and the board of trustees for his national, regional and local storytelling impact. He received a standing ovation.

“The public response to this project has been incredible, and Alan’s work provides us the opportunity to thank all of the MUSC nurses and care providers who have been digging deep, every day, for two years, to care for patients and their families,” said James Lemon, D.M.D., MUSC Board of Trustees chairman. “As he said today, although he’s in the spotlight, this is really about the entire team. We have an amazing group of care givers, faculty, students and staff across the state and we are once again reminded of their dedication and commitment to our mission.”

“You’ve helped care providers across the country feel seen by using your unique skill set and underscored the impact that the virus has had on all of us, across the country, and the importance of vaccination,” Cole said. “Alan, thank you for being here today, and for the incredible work you have done to tell the story of our care team, patients and families.”

Kate Azizi, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, reported that at the half year mark $46.7 million has been raised as part of the FY22 fundraising goal of $65 million, pointing out that donors have had a tremendous impact on the mission. Approximately $3.8 million of the funds raised so far are dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion efforts at MUSC, evidence of the institution’s enterprise wide commitment to reducing health disparities across its mission.

The board voted to approve the sale of an MUSC-owned parcel of property on Fort Johnson Road, James Island, to South Carolina Battleground Preservation Trust, Inc. The property has remained unoccupied since late 2014 due to building conditions and includes a main house, garage, storage building and cistern, all of which are uninhabitable and dilapidated. The property will be sold for an amount no less than the appraised value satisfactory to the state and any offer is contingent on the approval of the State Fiscal Accountability Authority.

The board also voted to approve the hiring of architectural firms Liollio and SLAM to explore possibilities related to a new MUSC College of Medicine (COM) academic building, as well as possible renovation or reconstitution of existing facilities on the Charleston campus to accommodate the College of Medicine. Full design and construction costs for a new building are not final and the board has not approved construction at this time.

In other business, the 16-member MUSC/MUHA board also voted to approve the following items:

• Renewal of the lease for 2,614 square feet of clinical space located at 57 Bee Street, Charleston. The purpose of this lease is to continue to provide clinical and office space for MUSC Employee Health.
• Renewal of the lease for 140 parking spaces located in the parking lot at Line and Hagood Streets on the Charleston peninsula. The purpose of this lease is to continue to provide parking spaces for MUSC employees and students.
• Lease amendment to extend the lease term for space located in MOB III at 1655 Bernardin Ave, Suite 220, Columbia and expand into Suites 210 and 240, resulting in a total of 15,440 square feet of clinical space.
• A new lease for approximately 5,781 square feet of clinical and office space located in Plantation Pointe at 1077 West Meeting St., Lancaster. The purpose of the lease is to accommodate MUSC Health General Surgery and a patient call center.

The MUSC/MUHA Board of Trustees serves as separate bodies to govern the university and hospital, normally holding two days of committee and board meetings six times a year. For more information about the MUSC Board of Trustees, visit academicdepartments.musc.edu/leadership/board/index.html.

About MUSC

Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is home to the oldest medical school in the South as well as the state’s only integrated academic health sciences center, with a unique charge to serve the state through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and nearly 800 residents in six colleges: Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy. MUSC brought in more than $328 million in biomedical research funds in fiscal year 2021, continuing to lead the state in obtaining this funding. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.

As the clinical health system of the Medical University of South Carolina, MUSC Health is dedicated to delivering the highest quality and safe patient care while training generations of compassionate, competent health care providers to serve the people of South Carolina and beyond. Care team members provide care for patients at 14 hospitals with approximately 2,500 beds and 5 additional hospital locations in development, more than 300 telehealth sites and nearly 750 care locations situated in the Lowcountry, Midlands, Pee Dee and Upstate regions of South Carolina. In 2021, for the seventh 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 $4.4 billion. The close to 25,000 MUSC team members include world-class faculty, physicians, students, specialty providers, affiliates and scientists who deliver groundbreaking education, research, technology solutions and patient care.