MUSC Board approves land purchase for possible new health care facility in West Ashley

Board also approves MUSC administration seeking grievance policy clarifications at the state level

The MUSC Board of Trustees held its regular, scheduled meetings April 7-8. The Board voted to approve a $2.8 million, five acre land purchase for a new health care facility near West Ashley High School and the intersection of Bees Ferry Road and Glenn McConnell Parkway. This purchase will complement the 5.6 acres MUSC already owns nearby. This is part of MUSC’s ongoing investment in community and patient-centered care, which includes 19 primary care facilities throughout the tri-county area.

The board also approved an MUSC administrative request to submit grievance policy changes to the state of South Carolina for approval. After weekly meetings among MUSC team members who represented human resources, diversity and inclusion, legal and administration, and consideration of issues raised by community representatives, MUSC officials will be requesting that the state approve a number of changes to the Medical University Hospital Authority (MUHA) grievance policy, including:

• MUHA grievance panels consist of five individuals instead of three.
• Employees can nominate themselves or others for consideration as members of the grievance committee.  Additional training on the process and policy will also be provided.
• Any staff member may bring representation from human resources, compliance or the diversity office for any grievance policy meetings. Any staff member may also bring legal representation at their own cost.
• MUHA employees be allowed to appeal to the MUSC President.

Left photo: Local activist Leonard Riley and MUSC Board of Trustees Chairman Don Johnson discuss strides made to clarify the grievance process in the Medical University of South Carolina Hospital Authority. Right photo, from left: Leonard Riley, local activist, MUSC President Dr. David J. Cole, and Pastor Thomas Dixon, local activist, share smiles at the conclusion of the board of trustees approval to move forward with clarifications for the MUHA grievance policy at the state-level.

“I am pleased to see the board’s response to the diversity advisory committee’s recommendations to improve the governance of how grievances are handled, particularly with the hospital workers,” said South Carolina Senator Marlon Kimpson. “Today’s actions are a meaningful and productive start. I applaud all of the community leaders for working together with the board on this meaningful change.”

Presentations and information

Some additional meeting presentation highlights from MUSC faculty and staff include:

• MUSC continues to make large gains in patient safety, including new UV light and cleaning procedures for patient care areas and rooms and the incorporation of MUSC patients in “safety rounds” with MUSC clinicians
• The MUSC Friedman Center for Eating Disorders is opening soon and will be the only comprehensive outpatient eating disorders clinic in the tri-county area
• MUSC has the only lifespan comprehensive sickle cell disease clinic in the country, and Julie Kanter, M.D., director of that clinic and sickle cell research, has positioned MUSC as a national model for the treatment of sickle cell disease with this clinic and

efforts to expand sickle cell disease treatment through telehealth and a hub-and-spoke model of sickle cell disease clinics around the state

• The fundraising effort for the MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children’s Hospital has met 65 percent of its $125 million goal, approximately $82 million.

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 $2.2 billion. MUSC operates a 750-bed medical center, which includes a nationally recognized Children’s Hospital, the Ashley River Tower (cardiovascular, digestive disease, and surgical oncology), Hollings Cancer Center (a National Cancer Institute designated center) Level I Trauma Center, and Institute of Psychiatry. For more information on academic information or clinical services, visit musc.edu. For more information on hospital patient services, visit muschealth.org.