Clemson Rural Health initiatives improve health outcomes in rural communities across South Carolina

Annual reports show quantifiable data to support improved health outcomes among chronic disease patients

As the organizing framework for Clemson University’s statewide rural health service delivery and prevention efforts, Clemson Rural Health (CRH) has demonstrated measurable success in advancing the goals of Clemson Elevate by improving health outcomes and transforming lives across South Carolina and beyond.

CRH recently submitted reports to the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and Diabetes Free South Carolina* (DFSC) outlining significant improvements in chronic disease indicators such as A1c, blood pressure and body weight.

Using enhanced data analysis capabilities, CRH demonstrated that produce prescriptions programs, team-based health care delivery and remote patient monitoring has a statistically significant impact on a patient’s overall health.

Key Results

• Out of 493 participants in the diabetes management program Manage Together, 81% demonstrated improved A1c levels.
• Sixty-five percent of Manage Together participants saw meaningful weight loss.
• In fiscal year (FY) 2025 alone, 57% of CRH’s 1,470 patients with hypertension decreased their blood pressure by an average of 9%.
• CRH also supported 226 patients with high cholesterol in FY 2025 – and their total cholesterol decreased by an average of 15% through access to primary care and nutritional support.
• After six months of intervention, 90% of participants in the REACH SC remote patient monitoring program had manageable diabetes (<8% A1c) compared to 23% at intake.
• Since 2023, 119 patients with diabetes enrolled in CRH’s produce prescription program gained control of their A1c levels within a year of receiving their first produce box.

For CRH, these are more than just statistics, the numbers represent increased quality of life for people and communities across South Carolina.

What is next for Clemson Rural Health?

Building on these results, CRH plans to expand these proven programs to reach more rural and underserved South Carolinians. Lessons learned from these multi-faceted programs will shape CRH’s approach to chronic disease prevention and management for years to come.

Learn more about CRH’s impact on the community.

About Clemson Rural Health

Clemson Rural Health is the organizing framework for Clemson’s rural health service delivery and prevention efforts statewide – with locations including the Clemson Health Clinic at Walhalla, Clemson Health Clinic at Orangeburg, Clemson Community Primary Care – home of the Joseph F. Sullivan Center, Clemson Rural Health Support Office at Abbeville, and a fleet of Clemson Rural Health mobile health units. Our vision is to transform health outcomes in rural and underserved communities through reducing premature mortality, decreasing preventable hospitalizations, and improving overall quality of life in the regions we serve.

Clemson Rural Health is a part of the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences, a 21st-century land-grant college joining together a unique combination of schools and departments: Communication, Nursing, Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management, Political Science, Psychology, Public Health Sciences and Sociology, Anthropology and Criminal Justice. These areas have distinctive characteristics and missions – all joined together by a common thread of service to people and communities. For more information, visit ClemsonRuralHealth.org.

*Manage Together is funded by the BlueCross® BlueShield® of South Carolina Foundation, an independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, to support the goals of Diabetes Free S.C.