Grants solidify MUSC, Georgetown Pediatric Center bond
March 21, 2012
Funds to encourage pediatricians to practice in rural areas, better help pediatric patients transition into adult care settings
CHARLESTON, SC – March 21, 2012 – The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has awarded Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) a $1.92 million dollar grant to initiate a primary care track in the MUSC pediatric residency program. The Georgetown Pediatric Center (GPC) has been named as one of the two community training sites in South Carolina.
GPC has been affiliated with the Division of General Pediatrics at MUSC since 1999. Paul Hletko, M.D., serves as the GPC director and is an associate clinical professor of pediatrics at MUSC. Hletko is the founder of Georgetown Pediatric Center and has provided pediatric health services in Georgetown for more than 22 years. Members of the MUSC pediatric faculty
visit GPC on a weekly basis, and see a wide range of complex problems while assisting in providing Georgetown children with a full-service medical home.
This July pediatric resident physicians will rotate through Georgetown as part of their formal training, working with Hletko and his staff in providing care for patients from birth through their teenage years.This close alliance to MUSC provides an exceptional standard of care to our Georgetown families, and our patients enjoy the attention and care of MUSC faculty physicians, Hletko said. We are proud to be part of this innovative program for our area, and ultimately hope to influence some young pediatricians to practice in underserved rural communities. William Basco, M.D., MUSC division director for general pediatrics, agrees,
There are many studies demonstrating that physicians-in-training who spend part of their training in rural areas are much more likely to eventually practice there, so this new residency program track helps train pediatricians in areas ofneed where we want them to later practice.
The HRSA grant also includes funds to establish an on-site telemedicine program. This technology will aid both the education of the residents and care of our patients, Hletko said. The residents, staff, and guests of our office will be able to attend any and all daily and weekly MUSC academic
pediatric conferences being held in Charleston, in real time.
Patients who require a consultation may soon be able to receive that service with the sub-specialty pediatrician via our dedicated video equipment. For example, a consulting physician would be able to interview and conduct a visual exam
of a patient and review lab/X-ray results in real time without requiring the family to travel to Charleston or wait for periodic clinics held in Georgetown. As part of the new telemedicine approach, GPC will offer follow-up visits for behavioral or school-related problems.
Helping Georgetown’s sickle cell patients
The American Academy of Pediatrics recently awarded a 2012 CATCH (Community Access to Child Health) grant to Hletko and Sarah Mennito, M.D., director of the combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency Program at MUSC. The grant funds a project that will plan for the smooth transition of adolescents with sickle cell anemia to adult medical providers who are familiar with the complex multi-system health problems experienced by these patients.
Hletko has worked with sickle cell anemia patients throughout his career.
When I started working in pediatric hematology at Cook County Children’s Hospital, we did not have many of the life saving routines which are commonly in use today. Because life expectancy was only into young adulthood in the early 70s, we did not necessarily plan for a transition of care to an adult medical home. With Mennito’s help in developing new
processes for the transition from pediatric to adult care, Hletko looks forward to working with various individuals to further define transition planning for all special needs children, including those with sickle cell anemia.
The planning committee will also examine the needs of sickle cell anemia patients in the areas of education, vocational planning, insurance, income, living independence, transportation, spirituality, and mental health.
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, The Medical University of South Carolina is the oldest medical school in the South. Today, MUSC continues the tradition of excellence in education, research, and patient care. MUSC educates and trains more than 3,000 students and residents, and has nearly 13,000
employees, including approximately 1,500 faculty members. As the largest non-federal employer in Charleston, the university and its affiliates have collective annual budgets in excess of $1.7 billion. MUSC operates a 700-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children’s Hospital, the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical
oncology), and a leading Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit www.musc.edu. For more information on hospital patient services, visit www.muschealth.com.
